I Feel Daring Now

Oscar-winner Natalie Portman talks vegan food, conquering fear and making her mark as a female director.

- Stephanie Van Der Plank

 Natalie, 36, was born in Israel, but moved to New York with her mom Shelley, a homemaker, and dad Avner, a gynaecologist, when she was just three – she’s an only child. She studied ballet and modern dance, but completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. While studying, she made time for various acting performances and made her first feature film debut in the 1994 crime drama Léon: The Professional.

Her breakout role was as Queen Amidala in the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. She went on to star in hits like V for Vendetta and Black Swan, for which she won an Oscar. Recently, she’s been nominated for awards for her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy in the biopic Jackie, which was filmed in France when Natalie was living there with her family. In 2015, she made her directorial debut with the moving film A Tale of Love and Darkness. She’s married to French choreographer and dancer Benjamin Millepied and the pair live in Los Angeles with their children, Aleph, six, and one-year-old Amalia.

ON THE REAL ME

I’m ready to be as daring as I possibly can.

Fear is quite intrinsic to your life as a creative person, because you’re constantly putting yourself out there to be judged. In my twenties, I tended to be overly self-critical and it took me a while to escape that kind of crippling attitude. I’ve tried to stop thinking about all the negatives, so now I’m much more ready to try different things and let my creativity free. It’s extremely liberating!

One of the most important lessons I’ve learnt is to take risks.

I’ve realised that I can take chances, and even if everything doesn’t succeed as I expected it to, it’s not the end of the world. There will always be a new challenge to take on.