‘I Was Worried About It’: Natalie Portman Reveals Concerns Over Star Wars Casting
Natalie Portman is reflecting on the worries she had upon her casting as Queen Amidala in the Star Wars franchise.
Natalie Portman was both worried and excited when she joined Star Wars with her key role in the prequel trilogy.
Starting with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in 1999, Natalie Portman played Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo, the mother of Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker. Given the popularity of the franchise, it was a major opportunity for Portman, but that doesn’t mean taking the role didn’t come with a lot of apprehension. Looking back on the first installment of the prequel trilogy in honor of The Phantom Menace’s 25th anniversary, Portman shared (per Empire) how she was concerned that becoming a Star Wars star would result in getting pigeonholed for the rest of her career.
“I was worried about doing it, that I wouldn’t be able to do anything else after, because the series carries such a mythology in American life,” Portman said. “But that was precisely why it was such an incredible opportunity. It bridged my career from a child to an adult.”
The new comments from Natalie Portman are from an upcoming issue of Empire that will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Other stars of the prequel trilogy are also interviewed for the issue, including names like Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn), Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine), Samuel L. Jackson (Mace Windu), Brian Blessed (Boss Nass), Matt Doran (Elan Sleazebaggano), and more. It was also announced ahead of the issue hitting newsstands on Feb. 15 that The Phantom Menace will be coming back to theaters just in time for May the Fourth weekend this year.
After Natalie Portman made her debut in the franchise in the 1999 original installment of the prequel trilogy, she would return for two sequels: 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. While there are other actors from the prequel films who’ve since returned to the franchise with the Disney+ shows, there haven’t been any appearances from Portman, who has suggested that this is only because she’s never been asked. Notably, the character did return in the animated Clone Wars series, but Portman didn’t voice the role.
“I have no information on this. No one has ever asked me to return, but I’m open to it,” Portman said of a potential return to Star Wars last year, per GQ.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace will be returning to the big screen on May 3, 2024. The film can also be streamed on Disney+.
