Portman Wants No University Stalkers
14th November 2000
Actress Natalie Portman (photos) is determined
to keep potential stalkers away at her new
university - so she's adopted a different
surname. Natalie star has taken her maternal
grandmother's maiden name while at Harvard, so
she can keep a low profile while studying. She
says, "I don't want to have visitors, to be
completely blunt. All I've heard is that when
Brooke Shields (photos) was at Princeton, she
had hundreds of visitors a year. I don't want
that. I don't want to hang out with people I
don't know "Some people may find that rude,
because fans immediately think that, you know,
they can be your friend, and that's not the
relationship I want to have." The 19-year-old
admits her friends at Harvard are all such high
achievers she is as much in awe of them as they
are of her. She adds, "Everyone I'm around,
they're the most amazing people. I mean, just
the people in my dorm: the guy upstairs has
played cello with Yo-Yo Ma, there's a girl who's
a published poet, I know a few people who went
to the Olympics. These kids are all accomplished,
and they're interested in my life, but I'm as
interested in theirs and it's not like, 'Oh my
God, you're in a movie!'"
Star Wars Security Breach?
6th September 2000
The tough security surrounding Star Wars films
is legendary - but now a fan is claiming they
have a copy of the long-awaited script for Star
Wars: Episode II (2002) abd is planning to sell
it for $100,000 over the internet. The script to
the eagerly-anticipated film, which stars Ewan
McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen,
would be incredibly valuable to die hard fans of
the sci-fi series. Lucasfilm Ltd.. has issued a
statement saying it reserves the right "to
decline comment on any possible investigations
associated with unauthorized or unlawful use or
possession of our copyrighted property." The
theft came to light after the hacker offered the
script to Star Wars fan-site theforce.net, who
reported the alleged leak to the movie's makers
Lucasfilm.
Natalie Portman Falls For Star Wars Co-Star
23rd August 2000
Natalie Portman has reportedly fallen in love -
with her Star Wars: Episode II (2002) co-star
Hayden Christensen. Christensen won the coveted
part of Anakin Skywalker in the second prequel
after an initially unconvinced George Lucas -
who thought he was too young for the part - was
bowled over by his red- hot screen-test with
Portman, who is returning to her role as Queen
Amidala. Online sources report that the pair are
crazy about each other and are getting in some
useful practice for their on-screen love scenes.
Shue's Not Important
7th August 2000
Elisabeth Shue was worried she would be treated
as a superstar when she began at her new college
- but students were more interested in Natalie
Portman. The fears flared up on her first day at
Harvard when somebody came up to her with an
excited look on her face. But they receded when
the person opened her mouth and said, "Did you
hear? Natalie Portman's going to this school!"
Shue laughs, "It was really the talk of the
campus. Everyone was like, 'Have you seen
Natalie?' 'Have you heard she's here?' I began
looking for her after a while. I finally saw her
once, but we didn't say anything."
Aussie Actors Feel The Force
28th June 2000
The new Star Wars movie is going down-under
after recruiting seven young actors from
Australia and New Zealand. Jay Laga'aia, 'Leanna
Walsman', Rose Byrne, Veronica Segura, David
Bowers, Matthew Rowan and Daniel Logan have all
landed plum parts in Star Wars: Episode II
(2002) which began filming in Sydney, Australia
yesterday Monday. Their parts - which are being
closely guarded - include a 'skilled bounty
hunter', an 'indulgent politician', a 'high-ranking
Senate official ' and a 'mysterious young boy'.
The film's casting director Robin Gurland has
been surprised by the abundance of talent
available to him. He says, "it's been terribly
exciting to discover the wealth of talent in
Australia." The Antipodeans will join stars Ewan
McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson and Natalie Portman,
who have all been confirmed for the film.
Hayden's Chemistry With Natalie Portman
6th June 2000
Star Wars: Episode II (2002) director George
Lucas chose Hayden Christensen for the part of
ANAKIN SKYWALKER over Tom Hanks' son Colin Hanks
because the unknown actor had more sexual
chemistry. Lucas stunned the world when he cast
Christensen in the coveted part last month. And
the move left Hanks' son disappointed as he
failed to snap up the space adventure part.
Lucas insists he chose the young actor because
he had more raw talent and more sexual chemistry
with actress Natalie Portman than Colin did.
Lucas says, "It took over a year for us to find
Hayden. We did a lot of testing and then I
picked him and interviewed him and he did some
readings and then finally we tested him with
Natalie Portman... When he tested with Natalie
we wanted to see what the chemistry was like and
it worked. I needed to find solid acting talent
and someone who embodied the character and
Hayden was it."
New Anakin Skywalker Thanks Natalie Portman
For Part
16th May 2000
HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN is thanking his sizzling on-screen
chemistry with NATALIE PORTMAN for his shock
casting in the next two STAR WARS movies. The
little-known Canadian actor beat 441 other
candidates to bag the coveted role in the two
remaining Star Wars prequels, EPISODES II and
III. And the 19-year-old star believes his
chemistry with Portman won him the role because
Episode II centers on the steamy relationship
between his character ANAKIN SKYWALKER and her
QUEEN AMIDALA. Christensen says, "The auditions
became all about meeting Natalie. It was just
the thrill of shooting with her. I believe I
have chemistry with her and that is key to my
getting the part."
George Lucas Chooses Next Anakin Skywalker
4th May 2000
GEORGE LUCAS is in the final stages of choosing
the actor to play ANAKIN SKYWALKER in Star Wars:
Episode II (2002). Over the past weekend the
legendary director invited a handful of
candidates to SKYWALKER RANCH to do a digital
screen test opposite NATALIE PORTMAN who plays
QUEEN AMIDALA. And producer RICK MCCALLUM says
the world should know who has won the high
profile role in the next few weeks. He adds, "The
casting of Anakin is always a very emotional
thing. It could be several weeks before we know
anything." Hollywood gossips still claim TOM
HANK'S son COLIN is the frontrunner.
Will Natalie Portman Give Up Acting?
28th April 2000
Actress NATALIE PORTMAN looks set to give up her
soaring big-screen career for her books. The
PHANTOM MENACE star - who recently began as an
Ivy Leaguer at Harvard - says she would like to
be a clinical psychologist. She says, "I'm ready
to ditch the movies and keep at the books. There
are so many other things, and it would feel
limiting to say, 'Acting is it for me.'... I
love psychology. That's what I'm studying right
now. It would probably be difficult, because of
my current occupation, to become a clinical
psychologist, but I could certainly do research.
And I'd like to have a family someday, too."
Natalie Portman Ponders Motherhood
26th April 2000
Teenage movie star NATALIE PORTMAN is getting
broody after portraying a young mother in her
new movie Where the Heart Is (2000). The 18-year-old
PHANTOM MENACE star admits she was a bit awkward
with handling a baby at first, but the
experience sparked her own maternal desires. She
explains, "It was really wonderful because I'm
an only child and I never baby-sat growing up so
I never really had any experience with kids. "All
of a sudden I do this movie and they give me a
baby and they're like, 'hold it!'... I was a
little awkward dealing with it at first but it
made me really excited for the future."
Natalie In The Dark About Star Wars Lover
14th April 2000
GEORGE LUCAS is keeping the identity of NATALIE
PORTMAN's love interest in the next STAR WARS
movie secret - because he doesn't trust her. The
talented actress will reprise the role of QUEEN
AMIDALA in the follow-up to Star Wars: Episode I
- The Phantom Menace (1999) and knows she'll be
playing opposite a new ANAKIN SKYWALKER. But
director Lucas is so worried she'll let the
identity of her leading man slip, he's refusing
to tell her who he is. She says, "I'm reading
with potential Anakins at the end of the month.
I asked George Lucas who some of the guys are
but he refused to tell me... All I know is that
EWAN MCGREGOR, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, JAR JAR BINKS
and YODA are all returning for the next episode."
Shooting begins in Australia in June.
Episode II Hoax?
14th November 2000
Internet movie portal IFilm is publishing what
is purported to be a letter from an executive of
20th Century Fox to an executive of Lucasfilm,
expressing concern that Star Wars: Episode II
(2002) may contain too much adult material and
may be "treading into PG-13 territory, or, even
more troubling, R." The letter (http://www.ifilm.com/db/static_text/0,
1699, 8780, 00.html) then goes on to describe so
many over-the-top scenes that its authenticity
would appear dubious at best. For example, it
refers to a love scene between the Hayden
Christensen and Natalie Portman characters "on
Naboo after the space-bike race." The scene, the
Fox exec says, "seems to play too rough,
especially for younger viewers who may still be
coming to terms with this suddenly grown-up
version of young Anakin. ('Oh, that I could
drive myself into you, not to satisfy myself,
but to satisfy you.')" The letter goes on to
note that another Fox exec "is an ardent Jar Jar
booster and has some cogent thoughts on his
assassination sequence that he would be more
than willing to share." [IFilm recently
presented a short film spoof on its site called
Jar Jar Binks: The E! True Hollywood Story]
Artisan And Miramax Doing Dirty Dancing
Together
12th May 2000
Artisan Entertainment co-CEO Amir Malin and
Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein have
announced at Cannes that they will produce a
sequel to the 1987 hit Dirty Dancing (1987).
They indicated that they hope to land Ricky
Martin and Natalie Portman for the leads.
Agency Confirms Christensen Will Play Anakin
11th May 2000
A representative of the Gersh Agency has
confirmed that George Lucas has signed 19-year-old
Hayden Christensen to play Anakin Skywalker in
the next two Star Wars movies, the CBC reported
Wednesday. The selection had been reported by
Daily Variety last week but Lucasfilm had
dismissed the report as rumor. The CBC said that
Lucas had been impressed with Christensen's
screen tests with Natalie Portman.
Lucas Screen-Tests Would-Be Anakins
2nd May 2000
Last weekend George Lucas screen-tested "a
handful of candidates" opposite Natalie Portman
for the role of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars:
Episode II (2002), according to a statement
posted on the official Star Wars Web site <www.starwars.com>
today (Tuesday). None of the actors who
participated in the screen tests was identified.
Producer Rick McCallum described the tests,
recorded with Sony/Panavision HDTV cameras (the
statement referred to "Panasonic, " presumably
an error), as "just one step in the process" of
making the final choice. McCallum added, "It
could be several weeks before we know anything."
Phillippe Favored To Play Anakin In Episode
II
20th April 2000
Ryan Phillippe is the overwhelming favorite of
Star Wars fans to play Anakin Skywalker in
Episode II, the online edition of Entertainment
Weekly reported Wednesday. Phillippe drew 38
percent of the vote conducted by EW Online, more
than twice the votes of his closest runner up,
former General Hospital regular Jonathan Jackson
(17 percent) and Dawson's Creek costar Joshua
Jackson (16.5 percent). The magazine, however,
pointed out that the chances of Phillippe
actually being cast in the role are slim,
inasmuch as he would have to appear to be six
years younger than his co-star, Natalie Portman.
In real life, Philippe, who is 25, is seven
years older than the 18-year-old Portmen. (Nevertheless
no 12 year olds are being considered for the
role.)
