Portman Apologizes for Black Quote
8 December 2004
Natalie Portman has written a letter to American
style magazine Allure to explain herself for
comments she made in an interview in which she
empathized with being a black American. The Star
Wars star insists the attributed quote, "I'm not
black, but I know what it feels like," was "personally
offensive" when she read the article in August's
Allure. Portman writes, "If I had spoken more
articulately, I might have conveyed what I truly
feel: I could never know what it is like to be a
black American. "The 'it' I was referring to
when I said, 'I know what it feels like, ' was
not intended to signify that I know 'how black
people feel' but rather that I know what Dubois'
(Souls of Black Folk author Web Dubois) concept
of double- consciousness feels like." Portman
also alleges her quote was taken out of context:
"Had my quote included what I actually said
preceding that statement, perhaps my meaning
would have been clearer." She adds, "I sincerely,
and with my deepest regrets for offending any
readers, apologize and apologize and apologize.
This has hurt me deeply, and I will do my best
to be more thoughtful and articulate in the
future."
Movie Reviews: 'Closer'
3 December 2004
Mike Nichols' Closer is opening on fewer than
500 screens today, but it is touching off
widespread critical debate. A.O. Scott in the
New York Times hails Nichols as one of the few
filmmakers "who are capable of infusing the
bodily expressions of erotic desire with
dramatic force and psychological meaning."
Leslie Morris in the Boston Globe remarks that "it's
a show of the director's goodness that a movie
fundamentally preoccupied with interpersonal
ugliness is allowed to end on a convincing note
of beauty." Bob Longino in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
describes the movie as "compelling, unsettling
and finely acted." Peter Howell, in the Toronto
Star calls it "a Nichols signature movie, one of
his best in a long career and of a piece with
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Carnal
Knowledge." On the other hand, Kenneth Turan in
the Los Angeles Times concludes that what the
film "lacks is a compelling reason to see it.
Despite involved acting from Julia Roberts, Jude
Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen and Nichols'
impeccable professionalism as a director, the
end result is, to quote one of the characters,
'a bunch of sad strangers photographed
beautifully.'" Jack Mathews in the New York
Daily News remarks that while the actors are all
"terrific," the movie "still manages to be
unpleasant." John Anderson in Newsday remarks
that the movie winds up being a case of "bad
Pinter meets bad Updike, dancing to the rat-a-tat
rhythms of an E.R. episode." Similarly, Joe
Morgenstern writes in the Wall Street Journal: "The
movie is insistently playlike, if rarely playful,
thanks to the director's fondness for
artificial, rat-a-tat-tat rhythms of speech that
sound like parodies of drawing-room comedy." Bob
Strauss in the Los Angeles Daily News comments
that the film "offers only intermittent
satisfaction." And Philip Wuntch's comments in
the Dallas Morning News would seem to apply to
his fellow critics when he remarks: "Closer
reaches out and grabs all but the most reluctant
viewer. Some spectators will be bored, but more
will be shaken and stirred."
Review Board Finds 'Neverland' the Best
2 December 2004 (StudioBriefing)
The annual movie awards season dawned Wednesday
as the National Board of Review, which
traditionally hands out the year's first honors,
named Finding Neverland, the biography of Peter
Pan creator J.M. Barrie, the best film of the
year. Jamie Foxx, who starred in another biopic
-- about singer Ray Charles -- was voted best
actor for Ray, and Annette Bening, best actress
for her performance in Istvan Szabo's Being
Julia. Michael Mann was named best director for
Collateral. The stars of Closer -- Jude Law,
Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, and Natalie Portman
-- received an award for "ensemble acting." The
film opens Friday.
Portman Ready for Nude Internet Coverage
30 November 2004
Actress Natalie Portman is comfortable with the
inevitable prospect of seeing her naked body
splashed across the internet, after her new
movie Closer hits cinemas. The sexy screen star
plays a stripper in the raunchy film - in which
she appears alongside Julia Roberts - and she's
prepared for the fact stills grabbed from her
nude scenes will soon dominate celebrity
websites. She says, "Yeah, it'll be nude
celebrities dotcom. But that's fine. I'm not
scared. I'm brave. I feel like I've got to a
point in my life where everything I do is active
rather than reactive." However, Portman laughs
off theories she agreed to the steamy role in an
intentional effort to abolish her former child
star reputation. She adds, "I'm not doing things
to prove anything. That makes me comfortable
with whatever people walk away with. I can still
carry on my own life without being hurt."
Pregnant Roberts Misses 'Closer' Press
24 November 2004
Pregnant Julia Roberts pulled out of press for
her new movie Closer just 24 hours before
Monday's interviews. The actress, who is set to
give birth to twins in January, missed out on
weekend press for another new movie Ocean's
Twelve, but she was expected to join Closer co-stars
Jude Law, Clive Owen and Natalie Portman for
publicity in Los Angeles. But Roberts, who was
admitted to hospital with contractions earlier
this month, was a no show for press calls. Law
understands, "She's resting. It was touch and go.
We knew that she had to rest and this sort of
situation has to be on the day. What's important
is that she listens to herself and the doctors
and the baby." Roberts also pulled out of Monday
night's Hollywood premiere. George Clooney joked
about her absence from the Ocean's Twelve press
junkets: "I think it's all a bluff. She wants to
get some attention."
Modest Pitt Turns Down 'Actors Studio'
19 November 2004
Hollywood heart-throb Brad Pitt turned down the
chance to star in critical chat show Inside The
Actors Studio because he doesn't think he's
experienced enough. Modest Pitt was invited by
James Lipton to review his film career and
discuss his acting methods on the Bravo program,
when his blockbuster Troy came out this summer.
According to American gossip site Pagesix.Com,
Pitt said that he didn't have a "sufficient body
of work". Pitt needn't have worried about his 27
movie portfolio, recent Studio guests include
Natalie Portman - who has 14 to her name and
Jennifer Lopez with 16 movies.
Nichols Removes Portman's Nude Scenes
8 November 2004
Actress Natalie Portman ordered director Mike
Nichols to remove her full frontal nude scenes
from her latest movie Closer - despite playing a
stripper in the film. Nichols is very protective
of the 23-year-old beauty and agreed the topless
footage was acceptable, but decided raunchy
shots of her fully nude were gratuitous and
should be deleted from the drama. Portman
explains, "He wants to see my bare ass much less
than (even) my father would. He's as or more
protective of me than my parents are. So doing
sexual, physical stuff for him felt very
uncomfortable."
Reshoots on 'Star Wars' Film
4 August 2004
The latest installment in George Lucas'
blockbusting Star Wars series is undergoing
reshoots in London, despite principal
photography finishing last year. Natalie Portman,
who again plays Queen Amidala in the forthcoming
movie, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The
Sith, is flying into the British capital to help
with finishing touches to the forthcoming film.
But Portman is refusing to reveal why Lucas
feels reshoots are necessary so long after the
movie's shoot ended. She says, "I haven't been
told anything so for all I know, it could be
like walking, an insert shot of my hands, or a
whole new storyline, so I will be as surprised
as you are."
Portman Ignores Flowers To Make Political
Statement
30 July 2004
Actress Natalie Portman's political T-shirt
statement on live American TV Thursday morning,
left bosses so worried, her interviewer asked
her cover it with a bunch of flowers. The Star
Wars beauty made an appearance on TV show Good
Morning America to promote her new movie Garden
State, but her bold T-shirt bearing presidential
hopeful John Kerry's name and picture prompted
veteran journalist Diane Sawyer's fear her
network ABC would fall foul of pre-election
guidelines. Partway through the interview, a
smiling Sawyer said, "Now if I'm gonna talk to
you, you're gonna have to hold flowers here in
front of the John Kerry (T-shirt). We can't just
have John Kerry the whole time. Who do we bring
in for equal time?" A stunned but laughing
Portman shot back, "Come on, you've got (Bill
O'Reilly's) The O'Reilly Factor. That's on
television; that evens it out!" She also took
the opportunity to voice her support for the
Democratic contender, adding, "I love John Kerry!
I just think he has the perfect combination of
compassion and intelligence and composure under
pressure and I'm just a huge fan."
Clive Owen Starstruck by Co-Star Julia Roberts
15 July 2004
Clive Owen refuses to believe rumors Hollywood
star Julia Roberts is a diva - because she "couldn't
have been nicer" when they worked together on
new movie Closer. The pair join Jude Law and
Natalie Portman in the star studded Mike Nichols
drama - currently in post-production - and Owen
admits the actress was an entirely different
person to one portrayed in the press. He says,
"I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I mean,
she's probably the most famous actress in the
world and you hear all this stuff and read all
these things, but she couldn't have been nicer
to work with. She was so easy and there was no
diva attitude at all, no big entourage of
assistants and publicists. I really had a great
time with her."
Natalie Portman and the Stalker Mix-Up
17 June 2004
Star Wars beauty Natalie Portman's mother called
police to her New York home recently - fearing a
man innocently reading a book on the sidewalk
outside was a deranged stalker. The stunning 23-year-old
- who shot to fame as a child in hitman drama
Leon - is fearful of becoming the target of
obsessed fans so when her mother Shelly spotted
student Antwone LeGarde outside her property,
she immediately called in the local law
enforcement. LeGarde - who until that day had
never even heard of Portman - was stunned when
officers approached him as he sat on the curb
looking out over the beach near the actress's
house. And LeGarde tells New York gossip site
Page Six, that he wasn't the first person to
trigger Portman's protective loved ones into
ringing the police. He says, "The police
officers were laughing about it. They said, 'This
is the third or fourth time she's done this.'
Every time someone comes near her house, she
thinks they're stalking her. It's a little
strange." However, Portman's lawyer Marty Singer
denies his client has troubled the authorities
more than once. He says, "Natalie has never
called the police. She didn't know anything
about it. There was a young person sitting near
their property for a very long period of time.
Her mother called 911. She never used the word,
'stalker.'"
Portman Ditches Bernal
18 May 2004
Star Wars beauty Natalie Portman is a single
woman again - after ditching hunky boyfriend
Gael Garcia Bernal. The stunning 22-year-old
actress has been dating the Bad Education star
since meeting him at a post-Oscar party in 2003
but friends say cracks started appearing in the
romance a few weeks ago. According to British
newspaper The Sun, the final straw was when
Portman discovered her beau had opted to take
his parents to the Cannes Film Festival this
week instead of her. Portman's previous
boyfriends include Moby and Lukas Haas.
Law in Portman Romance Riddle?
11 March 2004
British hunk Jude Law is reportedly getting
close to his Closer co-star Natalie Portman -
sparking fears his romance with Alfie beauty
Sienna Miller is over. The Cold Mountain Oscar
nominee first met Portman on the set of the
Anthony Minghella-directed civil war drama,
while he was going through his split from wife
Sadie Frost. But it wasn't until the pair teamed
up to play lovers in the new drama - which also
stars Julia Roberts - that they struck up a
close friendship. A source close to Law tells
Britain's Closer magazine, "Jude regularly mixes
with big Hollywood names and while Natalie is at
ease in those circles, Sienna, a former model,
is seen as a comparative lightweight. Her only
big film role so far has been beside Jude in
Alfie." The actor has reportedly told pals, "Natalie's
like a breath of fresh air and very like me in
many ways." Natalie - who dates Mexican hunk
Gael Garcia Bernal - told reporters recently, "Jude
Law is gorgeous. I can tell if someone's really
genuine or if they're nice to you just because
you're an actor."
Portman and Bernal Enjoy Smoochy Meal
26 February 2004
Star Wars beauty Natalie Portman and Mexican
hunk Gael Garcia Bernal enjoyed a romantic
Valentine's Day meal together - and didn't care
who spotted them getting intimate. Portman, 22,
and the 25-year-old Y Tu Mama Tambien star made
no secret of their mutual affection as they sat
holding hands and frequently shared passionate
kisses during their date at east London's trendy
Real Greek restaurant. Prompt Portman waited
patiently at the bar for Bernal to arrive for a
double date, which they spent with another
equally loved-up couple. An onlooker says,
"Natalie and Gael were very intimate - touching
each other and kissing in full view of everyone.
They're definitely an item. Natalie arrived
first and was at the bar by herself for a while
waiting for the others to turn up - they had a
double date with another couple. They all ended
up having a few bottles or red wine and stayed
late." Portman and Bernal met at an Academy
Awards after party in March last year and they
have since been spotted together, but have
refused to comment on any possible relationship.
Distribs Paying Big Bucks at Sundance
20 January 2004
Buyers for the film industry's biggest indie
distributors, many of whom took a wait-and-see
approach to the offerings at the Sundance Film
Festival last year, then went into a frenzy of
buying in the closing days, are waiting no
longer, according to reports from the festival.
Today's (Monday) Hollywood Reporter observed
that the festival was "front loaded" with many
of the high-profile features screening in the
first days. Some of those making the pickups
were high-profile in their own right, with
Miramax, a unit of Disney, and Fox Searchlight,
a unit of 20th Century Fox, coupling to acquire
Garden State, which marks the directorial debut
of Zach Braff of NBC's Scrubs, who also wrote
the movie and stars in it alongside Natalie
Portman. The festival is also buzzing over the
reported $4-million acquisition of Walter
Salles' The Motorcycle Diaries by Focus Features
and a $3-million-plus pickup of Jared Hess's
Napoleon Dynamite by Fox Searchlight.
Portman Reveals 'Awesome' 'Star Wars' Scene
7 January 2004
Natalie Portman is hoping fans will be satisfied
with the final Star Wars film - because it
contains some "awesome" action. Portman, who
plays Queen Padme Amidala in the sci-fi prequel
trilogy, admits she's not sure whether the last
installment will be "worth it". Creator George
Lucas has come under fire from disappointed fans
who argue the new offerings do not match up to
his classic original trilogy - but Portman
insists the cast and crew have done their very
best. She says, "I saw a pretty amazing fight
scene between Ewan McGregor and Hayden
Christensen. It's pretty sick. "They were
thinking of having stuntmen do it, but they were
better than the stuntmen. It's pretty awesome. "Is
it gonna be worth it? We just shot it and we
worked really hard. I think all of us were
trying to make it as good as possible. "It was
our last chance to sort of, you know, do
something with it. So, I'm hoping. But they work
on it for two years after we finish shooting,
putting on the special effects and all that
stuff."
Spoilers From Padme?
7 January 2004
Natalie Portman, who stars as Padmé Amidala in
the Star Wars prequels, has disclosed that the
upcoming Episode III will include "a pretty
amazing fight scene" between Ewan McGregor, who
plays Obi Wan Kenobi in the prequels, and Hayden
Christensen, who portrays Anakin Skywalker/Darth
Vader in them. In an interview with MTV.com,
Portman also disclosed that the two actors
perform the scene without the aid of stuntmen
and that "it's pretty sick." She did not
elaborate. The film is set to open on May 25,
2005, the 28th anniversary of the original's
premiere.
