In her 40s, Natalie Portman is still showcasing a different side of her acting chops, this time in the MCU's Thor: Love and Thunder.The actress has undergone so many transitions, especially in terms of memorable roles. Who can forget her time in Black Swan, dropping 20-pounds for the role and looking unrecognizable... In the early stages of her career, Natalie Portman decided on making a bold move. She changed her name for the film The Professional back in 1994.We'll look back on why she made that decision, and what inspired the last name, Portman.
Natalie Portman Was Terrified Of Returning To The MCU
Reviews are mixed for Thor: Love and Thunder, however, there truly is no denying the power of its allure, stacked cast and success at the box office, which is currently at over $700 million.
Natalie Portman is a big player attached to the project, however, given her words alongside ScreenRant, returning to the MCU family was a very stressful experience.
"I was terrified. I mean, it's so wild. You walk into the backstage area of the MCU now, and it's like the Oscars. You've got the most talented filmmakers in the world; the most talented actors in the world, and it's such a privilege to get to be among them."
"I think you see Marvel really treats creative collaborators with so much respect, and encourages and fosters all of this - yes, fosters - creativity that really allows people to do their [best]."
It all worked out for Portman, though in truth, she has been in the game for a very long time. In addition, Portman made a few changes along the way, some fans didn't even realize.
Natalie Portman Was Already Acting At The Age Of 12
Looking back at her career, Portman makes mention that she wants fans to start looking back after a certain film, "The Professional is the best place to start, since it was the beginning of anything I ever did." The film is also significant for the reason that Portman changed her last name, but we'll have more on that shortly.
According to Business Insider, Portman's career is far from new... In truth, she has been in the acting game since the tender age of 12.
"I feel like it was really lucky for me to get to do what I loved so early and see that you could do that as a grown up, make believe for a living, which is pretty astonishing."
"I think I had questioned it a lot and the seriousness of it and what it meant. I realized how much I loved it and how much I wanted to do it and how much I felt storytelling had meaning, which is related to the book as well. Storytelling is our way of developing empathy and practicing empathy. When we care about characters when we're watching a movie or reading a book, it's the practice of empathy."
It is clear that Portman made the correct call in pursuing her passion. Not only does she love her career but an added bonus has to be the fact that she's swimming on wealth, with a tremendous net worth of $90 million, nearing the $100 million mark.
Born Natalie Hershlag, Portman Changed Her Name After The Professional For Privacy Reasons
It was in 1994 that Portman officially decided to change names, following the film Léon: The Professional. Born Natalie Hershlag, the actress decided to switch her last name, opting for her grandmother's maiden name.
So why the change in name? Well, according to The National News, it was all done in order to protect her privacy, especially given the tone of the role and how young Natalie was at the time.
"American-Israeli actress Natalie Portman changed her name from Neta-Lee Hershlag as she was starring in Leon (1994), when she was about 13, to protect her privacy because of the role, which had sexual overtones, according to Britannica. Portman is her maternal grandmother's last name."
The 41-year-old hasn't looked back since, with few fans questioning the name change or even realizing it, given how long it has been.