Natalie Portman Reveals How She Really Feels About Those Star Wars Prequels

Natalie Portman has insisted she feels “blessed” to have been part of the Star Wars franchise.

The Oscar winner appeared as Padmé Amidala in the three prequel films in what’s come to be known as the “Skywalker saga”, beginning with 1999’s The Phantom Menace and ending with 2005’s Revenge Of The Sith.

Speaking to Total Film, Natalie said she felt Star Wars is something she feels “extraordinarily lucky thing to have been part of”.

“I know how meaningful it is for people. And, every day, still, people are like, ‘I just watched it with my kids’,” she explained.

“To be part of something like that that’s part of that cultural mythology, and part of people’s childhoods, in such a vibrant way, is so, so lucky.”

However, the Black Swan actor admitted that not all of her Star Wars memories are good ones, namely down to the fact the prequel trilogy didn’t exactly get the warmest reception from fans at the time.

“The reaction to them when they came out, being as harsh at it was – it was hard,” Natalie recalled.

“And obviously, over time they’ve gained more appreciation, which has been nice, to always feel the balm of time. But, yeah, I feel very blessed to have been part of that, at that moment in my life.”

Natalie was just 18 when Episode I in the Star Wars saga hit cinemas, and she’s since gone on to win acclaim for films like Closer, Black Swan and Jackie, all of which earned her Academy Awards recognition, as well as last year’s May December.

Following her stint in Star Wars, Natalie also joined another major franchise when she joined Marvel’s Thor universe as Jane Foster.