Hollywood actress Natalie Portman has brought a touch of New Jersey to the British capital. The 23-year-old, who was in town to promote her latest film Garden State, looked relaxed and content as she chatted with journalists in a central London hotel.
In the kooky independent movie she plays a young epileptic with whom the main character, portrayed by up-and-coming star Zach Braff, falls in love. Natalie's performance in the flick is being hailed as a career breakthrough for the pretty brunette.
"I really liked the script and the character," she explained. "It was unlike anything I'd ever read. Hollywood feels safe, and there's often the tendency to take something that was successful and make another version of it, but this didn't fit into any category."
2004 looks set to be an important year for the Jerusalem-born performer, who rose to fame as a 12-year-old femme fatale in Leon, because she has taken on a series of roles that should establish her as a more mature actress. In Mike Nichols' latest drama Closer, which sees her starring opposite Jude Law and Clive Owen, the former child star plays a stripper. And the forthcoming Paris Je t'Aime has given her the opportunity to team up with renowned movie-makers Joel and Ethan Coen. |
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