Natalie Portman

Season 11, Episode 1101

Original Airdate: November 21, 2004

Inside the Actor's Studio, featuring Natalie Portman, discusses the life and career of one of Hollywood's leading young actresses.

James Lipton begins with questioning Natalie about her unusual childhood. She was born in Jerusalem, Israel, and moved to Maryland as a toddler. Natalie's childhood would remain nomadic, as her father was studying to become a doctor and moved from city to city while he attained his degree. The family finally settled in Long Island, where a Revlon agent discovered Natalie in a local pizza parlor when she was ten years old.

She began filming her first movie, “The Professional,” when she was eleven and continued to work through her adolescence in films such as Woody Allen's “Everyone Says I Love You” and “Mars Attacks” with Jack Nicholson and Glenn Close.

She earned her first Golden Globe nomination portraying Susan Sarandon's daughter in “Anywhere but Here,” and won the role of Queen Amidala in the “Star Wars” prequels - which she filmed while on summer vacations from her psychology studies at Harvard University.

Natalie discusses her influential relationships with collegues such as Jude Law and Mike Nichols, and her preparation for different roles with the use of breathing techniques and dance movement.