MTV Movies Blog has pulled some interesting quotes from the maw of Portman today. She has thrown in the towel when it comes to sequels for The Professional and Star Wars. We get the following quote from the source article:
“When something works you don’t touch it,” Portman explained to us recently. “You try to create something new that’s positive.” As such, she insisted that she’ll never star in a long-rumored sequel to her first film, the ass-kicking classic “The Professional.” “I really love that film,” she added. “And I would work with [director] Luc Besson again, in a second, but [not on a sequel].”
Keeping with that theme, she has a similar message for Mr. George Lucas. “I’m so honored to have been a part of [the ‘Star Wars’ prequels],” she beamed. “I got to basically latch on to this thing, that was a huge success before I was ever involved.”That said, don’t expect to ever see Princess Padme and her trippy hairdos again. “I spent ten years working on these films,” she insisted. “It’s time to let it continue on its own.”
I am glad that Portman is wise enough to move on from past projects. Most movies should be stand alone films, and it is nice to see an actress duck out of work, for the benefit of the story. I am a little confused about her refusing to do any more Star Wars films however, her character died in the last film. That would be like Jim Henson’s agent coming on CNN this morning and saying that he will no longer be doing any voice work.
As for The Professional, I think it would be strange to have a sequel so many years on. If Portman has fond memories of this project I can certainly why she would want to leave it be. If The Professional 2 turned out to be like Highlander 2 – she would be saving herself from embarrassment and shame. Natalie Portman has had enough work to retire, now she can focus on doing roles that she enjoys.
When Portman shaved her head in V For Vendetta, I knew that she was serious about her craft. Hair is popular, and she gave it away for a film that paid her no more than any other project would have. It took guts, and a love for the story to chop it off – and I am glad she did. (As luck would have it, she even looked good bald.) With her reluctance to do sequels, it only means that we get to see her inhabit more characters more often; and that is just fine with me.
