Natalie Portman: what made Natalie Portman so unforgettable 10 years ago was how she burst onto the scene at the ripe old age of 13, with a shockingly mature performance. Round two begins with another small but searing film

Interview, July, 2004 by Peter Sarsgaard

When did Natalie Portman first cast her spell on the world? There's her film debut in Luc Besson's 1994 thriller, The Professional, but also her coy, classic tour de force in 1996's Beautiful Girls, in which her 13-year-old Marty--poison-tongued and irresistibly alluring--professes to possessing "an old soul" and predicts that one day "I'll be hot." And so began the enchantment, strengthened over the course of a decade with small, eclectic films (1999's Anywhere but Here, 2000's Where the Heart Is), two not-so-small experiments (Stars Wars, anyone?), and four years as a Harvard coed. This month the 23-year-old actress comes full circle as a quirky, self-assured Jersey girl--a Marty by another name, but this time, finally and irrefutably "hot"--in Garden State, Zach Braff's acclaimed writing-directing debut. Portman also rounds out an all-star cast in Mike Nichols's December ensemble Closer, with Julia Roberts, Jude Law, and Clive Owen, and will play the doomed Senator Amidala one last time in next year's final installment of Star Wars. Sitting down with Garden State co-star Peter Sarsgaard, the Israeli-born Long Islander opens up about her New York state of mind.

PETER SARSGAARD: So, where are you coming from?

NATALIE PORTMAN: Just now? I was house shopping with my mom--not, like, for houses, but for things inside my house. I got a place a year ago. I've done most of the work on it already, so it's just the fun, detailing part now.

PS: IS this your first place?

NP: Yeah, it's out on Long Island.

PS: I just got my first place too, but I'm a lot older than you.

NP: Well, you weren't a child star. [both laugh]

PS: It's difficult to put down roots at any point in one's life, don't you think?

NP: It is, but it's nice to have your own space to come home to. Acting is such a weird job in that it takes you away all the time, so when you have time off, it's not like you want to go on vacation like people with real jobs do.

PS: So how many movies do you have coming out?

NP: Well, this summer I have Garden State, and in December I have the film version of Closer. I never do more than two projects a year. I like it like that. I don't think I have the capacity to move from one thing to the other too quickly. Last night I saw this play called Bridge & Tunnel with an actress named Sarah Jones. She's amazing in it and goes from one character to another within seconds--each one is so detailed and so specific. I need three months to recharge before I can take on another role.

PS: Tell me about Closer. Did they rewrite it to make it into a movie?

NP: Not really. It's pretty much the ballsy thing that Patrick Marber wrote originally. Before shooting, we went through the play and identified what was happening at each stage. Mike Nichols [the film's director] was like, "This is a beginning of a relationship, and then an end of a relationship, and then a beginning, and an end ..." It just goes through like that, and you don't see any of the middle parts; but when the relationships are done you realize the bits Marber's included are the memorable moments.

PS: Your character's deliciously foul mouth is also memorable. [Portman laughs]

NP: Very true. Julia Roberts plays the role of Anna, and we were laughing about the dirty words we have to say. You blush at first, and then you get pretty liberal with them.

PS: There's nothing more fun than watching someone who's not quite comfortable with it really landing a well-placed "fuck."

NP: Yeah, at the start of shooting I gave Julia a necklace that said "Cunt" on it [laughs], then as a wrap gift she gave me one that said "Lil Cunt."

PS: Does she play a British character?

NP: We both played our roles as Americans. That was the main rewrite, I think--that and putting in a few lines that allow the dialogue to make a little more sense to American audiences.

PS: You've known Mike Nichols for a long time, since you were a little girl, right?

NP: Well, he came to see me in The Diary of Anne Frank [1997] when I was 16, and that was the first time we met. Then he cast me in the Central Park staging of The Seagull [2001], which was amazing. Doing a play outside for free is the best acting experience you can possibly ask for.

PS: I'm so jealous. I can't think of a better person to have as a fan.

NP: He's a really wonderful person.

PS: He's made some of my favorite movies. Actually, when I heard he was making Closer it made me think of Coma/Knowledge [1971, which Nichols also directed]. That movie's got a little swapping thing going on as well.

NP: Definitely. It's a perfect piece for him.

PS: I'll ask one of those standard questions: How did you first get involved in Garden State?

NP: Well, they sent me the script, and it was one of those things that almost gets passed over because no one's heard of the writer or director. But I started reading it, and the character of Sam was so weird and different from anything I'd ever done. It seemed like a lot of fun.

PS: To me, the character seems so you. [both laugh]