The Natalie Portman Phenomenon has taken hold of the nation; America, enamoured of this Israeli-born, clean-as-a-whistle Hollywood starlet, has succumbed to her limpid-eyed charm, and with good reason.
Though Natalie has been a staple of the movie business for what seems like forever, there was indeed a time when she did not dominate the silver screen.
Professionally, what has made the ubiquitous Natalie Portman a Hollywood success story is her unbelievable range as an actress.
Take, for example, the months leading to awards season. Not only did she have the creepily mind-bending Black Swan sweeping across the movie theaters of America, but she also starred in romantic comedy No Strings Attached with Demi Moore’s baby-faced husband Ashton Kutcher, released at roughly the same time.
Remember Star Wars: The Phantom Menace? Yeah, she was in that, playing the jailbait Queen of Naboo. Not exactly an Oscar-worthy performance, but a decent effort considering her age.
Before that, she played the strange but compelling Mathilda in Luc Besson’s The Professional (also entitled Léon). The premise of the film beautifully captures the tension between the — surprise, surprise — jailbait Mathilda and Léon, a professional assassin.
Other movie credits include classics such as Garden State, Closer, V for Vendetta, The Other Boleyn Girl, and Brothers. Movies we wish she had never touched with a six-foot pole include Mr. Magorium’s Magic Emporium and New York, I Love You, the bastard child of Paris, Je T’Aime.
Despite these regrettable mistakes, no one can dispute her skills as an actress.
Furthermore, she has been Hollywood’s poster child for good, clean fun. The actress, arguably the reason veganism is hip today, has never been photographed drunk, high or showing her cooch. It’s an accomplishment worth more than her Oscar win for Black Swan.
But now Natalie has reached a turning point in her life; she’s gone and gotten herself pregnant with French choreographer Benjamin Millepied.
In her Golden Globe awards speech, Natalie infamously said, “Benjamin choreographed the film, and you remember him in the movie as the guy who, when asked if he would sleep with that girl was like, ‘Psh.’ He’s the best actor. He totally wants to sleep with me.”
We can only wonder what lies ahead for the irrepressible Ms. Portman. Pregnancy certainly doesn’t seem to slow her down.
