Natalie Portman is an essentially underused and underrated actress until quite recently. It was only with 2010's
Black Swan that Portman was beginning to be "taken seriously" by the public and the critics (by consensus). Revelatory statements like "I never knew she was
that good" abounded, and Portman slowly seeped into movie stardom, starring in
The Other Woman and
No Strings Attached mere months after
Black Swan's limited release. I argue that Portman was always a great actress, but found unattractive and diminutive roles. Or perhaps Portman found roles that were easy for people or shrug off. This often happens with actors, especially with actresses. But let's take a look at Portman's resumé, life work, and aspirations. Portman began acting, or at least was introduced to film public with 1994's
The Professional, were she played a young girl beside a killer. This role brought acclaim for the child actress, and she was thus expected to become a great actress. Admittedly, the role was decent and it proved Portman's worth by playing alongside an adult and holding her own. After this, Portman was barraged with good roles in good films, including the masterpiece
Heat, Everyone Says I Love You, and
Mars Attacks. More mentionable within this period was a slight film called
Beautiful Girls, which was more preachy than a real movie. Portman greatly elevated the so-so film as a perky and witty girl who lives next door to the main character. The warmth that Portman brought to the role was pitch-perfect, and she was well directed. At this point, Portman had already worked with esteemed directors Michael Mann and Woody Allen, but she then took absence from the film world, which was quite unexpected. From '96 to '99 Portman wasn't in a single film. But in '99 she made a sort of breakthrough that also limited her range and like-abilty. It was not her acting that did this, but the subject matter, which threatened to make Portman recognizable in a single role.
The film was
The Phantom Menace, the first of the Star Wars prequel where Portman would play the crucial role of Queen Padmé Amidala, the mother of Luke Skywalker. Here is where Portman began to look bad in the eyes of essentially everyone, for although her acting was good, especially beside a not-so-good Hayden Christiansen. But it was a role that practically asked for people to not take her seriously, which is silly because it was not only a smart choice, but prudent one at the time. But the Star Wars prequels were not received well, and it threatened the actresses further career. Following this was a sort of dip in roles, which included the sequels to
Phantom Menace (thus continuing this reign of ridiculousness toward her) and a couple of poorly received comedies. What came after this however, were films and performances that make her receptions seem frankly stupid. For, in the next few years, Portman had her bad choices:
Mr. Magorium, The Other Boleyn Girl, Free Zone, Goya's Ghosts, but had a number of films that were great. In
Garden State Portman's life and oddities were so well conveyed that the film became a sweet parable rather than another annoying indie film. In
Closer, Portman revealed a "serious" side that should have wowed critics but was forgettable. Her role was so bitter-sweet that it was reminiscent of
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. V For Vendetta showed her daring to shave her head, an act that few other actresses would partake in.
The Darjeeling Limited was merely solid, but just another entry into a great repertoire. Finally,
Brothers, perhaps her best film at its release, exhibited a sentimentality and sublimely nuanced side. And then came
Black Swan, for which she won an Oscar, which showed a culmination of the strengths exhibited in past films, and a vulnerability that was perhaps unprecedented. It is not only how well Portman is utilized and directed that makes her such a worthwhile subject of a film, but the way in which her face fees like a veil about to be thrown aside. When Portman allows for emotion to sweep across her face, a model-like face is broken down. It is her vulnerability and sentimentality that makes Portman such a great actress. It is a face that we expect, one that we see coming as the pretty face of a film, like a well furnished room, or colorful costuming, that is suddenly broken or revealed to us, that makes Portman exhibition like.
How fitting that her best film,
Black Swan, about ballet, deals with what is behind the facade (specifically excellence). Just how we see legs that rise and fall with seemingly languid and simple nature, and then hear the intense breathing, and cracks in feet and toes that break this facade, that an actress like Portman would be able to portray its conduit. Portman's smile could easily be turned into a frown if her lip fell minutely, the compactness of her body makes her easy to use with action, with dance, with violence against women. Most of all her voice, which is at times embarrassed, and then breaks into sureness is sublime. Portman doesn't talk in a single, imitating tone, but with conviction (even when soft). Surely, Natalie Portman is one of the best actresses around, her intelligence allows her to pick great roles (she graduated from Harvard) and her talent and experience with great directors widens her versatility within genres.
