Natalie Portman on Craft, Collaboration, and Mentorship: A Career Retrospective
PARIS – Natalie Portman, the academy Award-winning actress currently promoting her production company’s latest animated feature, Arco, reflects on a diverse career spanning from self-reliant dramas to blockbuster franchises, offering insights into her approach to acting, directing, and fostering the next generation of talent.
Portman, who recently portrayed Jackie Kennedy in Pablo Larrain‘s biographical drama, emphasizes the importance of collaboration, praising Aronofsky’s openness to suggestions and Larrain’s ability to create dramatic tension. She acknowledges the unique challenges of performance capture work, stating, “It is indeed clearly harder to be moved or moving in front of a tennis ball which represents a character than in front of another human being.” Despite these hurdles, Portman consistently seeks to refine her craft through work with acting teachers, meditation, and dream journaling to deeply connect with her roles.
Based in Paris for years, Portman co-founded mountaina with Sophie Mas, a company dedicated to supporting innovative storytelling. Their latest project, Arco by Ugo Bienvenu, arrives in theaters October 22nd. Looking ahead, Portman expresses a desire to transition into a mentorship role, stating, ”Now that I am entering the second half of my life and my career, I want to be a mentor in my turn, to share what I have learned with the youngest,” encouraging aspiring artists to seek guidance from experienced figures – “thought leaders… Or even, let’s say it, Jedi masters.”
