8 THE STATELY SPACE QUEEN
25 YEARS OF THE PREQUELS
NATALIE PORTMAN REMINISCES ABOUT HER ASTRAL ADVENTURE
WORDS ALEX GODFREY
Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) in The Phantom Menace.
Relaxed in Clones.
“SAY SOMETHING ’BOUT the motherfuckin’ prequels, bitch,” spat Natalie Portman, aiming a gun at some cowering sap’s face.
Portman has had quite the journey with Star Wars. She was 15 when cast as Queen Amidala, joining the saga as a wide-eyed but wise actor, having already worked with Luc Besson, Michael Mann, Woody Allen and Tim Burton. The rest is galactic history: the trilogy did gangbusters, but not without criticism, which Portman addressed in 2018’s potty-mouthed rap skit for Saturday Night Live when, dressed once more to the nines as Naboo royalty, she took haters to task. But there was always going to be risk.