WORDS: VIVA PRESS.
Natalie Portman has always had to contend with high expectations – mainly her own. She never bought into the industry hype that followed her debut in Luc Besson’s Leon at the age of 12. Instead of cashing in on her early stardom, Portman went to Harvard and distanced herself from Hollywood, with academic life not only serving to satisfy her intellectual ambitions – she graduated with a degree in psychology – but helping to resolve many of her admitted ‘self-doubts’.
Portman says it took some time before she felt confident about how she projected herself into the world. The major turning point came in 2010 with noir project Black Swan, which earned her an Oscar for her portrayal of a tormented ballerina consumed by dance. The role prompted her to continue to seek audacious and edgy indie parts. At the time, she had just begun married life to French choreographer Benjamin Millepied, who also worked on the film.