Natalie Portman has opened up about the brutal backlash she received early in her acting career and explained how the criticism of Star Wars taught her an important lesson about failure. The actor played Padmé Amidala in George Lucas’ three Star Wars prequel films, starting with The Phantom Menace in 1999. Although the film was a huge financial success, people had a lot of negative things to say about the film and its actors. Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar, Natalie said, “I had lucky early experiences of failure. I know I’ve been also very lucky to have a lot of successes that have balanced it out.” She added, “But I mean, for example, my first film, The Professional, got horrible reviews and had no box office. And then I made Star Wars. I was 16, and that got murdered. It was a huge success financially, but all of it was ‘They ruined the franchise. None of them can act. They all suck.’” Rather than allowing those reviews to put her off acting, though, Natalie said, “I think it was an amazing early lesson in how to read really bad things about yourself and then be able to be like, ‘I’m going to make another one. I’m going to show them.’” She also explained, “I don’t remember talking to anyone about it. I didn’t want to show anyone that I was hurt or anything.” Credit: Lucasfilm A few years later, Natalie won her first Oscar for her role in Black Swan in 2011. Before that, she was also nominated for an Oscar for her role in Closer in 2005. The actor is also preparing for her next big-screen release, The Gallerist. In the dark comedy, she plays Polina Polinski, an art gallery owner who attempts to turn an accident into a valuable work of art. The film is expected to be released in cinemas on 4 December 2026. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Post navigation Next story
