Natalie Portman is one of the amazing actresses in Hollywood right now. She has delivered some fantastic performances through her different characters and different genres. The actress is in the film business from a very young age and has also been part of massive franchises. She has received many awards, including two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award.
Portman has gained popularity from films playing different characters including, Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Portman has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Harvard University. She appeared as Anne Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl and Evey Hammond in V for Vendetta. The actress nailed the character of the ballet dancer in the psychological horror movie Black Swan. Portman earned the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film. Later she appeared in superhero films Thor, Thor: The Dark World, the romantic comedy No Strings Attached, the biopic Jackie and the science fiction film Annihilation.
The Oscar-winning actress did many movies over the years, but she has turned down many projects. In this article, we would discuss some of the films that Portman has been offered, but she could not be a part of for some reason. And we would try to find out if that discussion worked for or against her.
Movies She Should Have Done
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Romeo + Juliet is based on the famous William Shakespeare’s literature of the same name. Baz Luhrmann directed, co-wrote, and co-produced the romantic crime tragedy movie. The film stars the incredible Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes played the role of teenage lovers who fell in love despite being from feuding families.
There are countless adaptations of Shakespeare’s novels, but Luhrmann’s version of Romeo + Juliet is considered one of the best. The movie was released on 1 November 1996 under 20th Century Fox and received positive reviews. The film collected a gross of $151.8 million against a budget of $14.5million. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio won Silver Bear for Best Actor, and director Luhrmann won the Alfred Bauer Prize.
Natalie Portman was considered for Juliet’s role in the 1996 adaptation, but she could not make it through as she looked very young compared to DiCaprio. However, there is no second guess; Portman would have nailed the character with her heartwarming performance.
Romeo + Juliet got an approval rating of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 64 reviews with an average rating of 6.6/10.
King Kong (2005)
King Kong is the modern remake of a classic movie. Peter Jackson directed, produced, and also co-wrote the film. It stars Jack Black, Naomi Watts, Andy Serkis, and Adrien Brody. The plot follows a filmmaker who forces his cast and crew to travel to Skull Island’s mysterious place. The team encounters living creatures on that island, including a giant gorilla as Kong. They capture the gorilla and bring him to New York.
Portman auditioned for the young woman’s character to create a bond with King Kong, Ann Darrow. Still, again she seemed too young for the role. However, the actress has already proved herself as an adult actress by this time, but King Kong’s character required a believable face to build a relationship with a beast. The casting team hired Naomi Watts instead of the role.
The movie’s budget broke all the previous records and exceeded a budget of $207 million. It collected a gross of $562.3 million worldwide. King Kong won three Academy Awards including, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. It got a terrific response from the audience and received an approval rating of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 267 reviews with an average rating of 7.68/10.
Gangs Of New York (2002)
Legendary Martin Scorsese’s movie Gangs Of New York is a period film, and Portman had a fantastic chance to work with the fantastic director. The film was inspired by the 1927 nonfiction book of the same name written by Herbert Asbury. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, and Daniel Day-Lewis.
The plot is set in the neighborhood slum of Five Points, Manhattan. The two gangs engaged in a challenge that held sway over the Five Points. Portman auditioned for the role of Jenny, but in the end, Cameron Diaz got the part.
It would have been fun to watch the actress in some dark role. The film got an approval rating of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 211 reviews with an average rating of 7.11/10.
Movies We Glad She Didn’t End Up Doing
Lolita (1997)
Adrian Lyne’s drama film Lolita is a screen adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel of the same name. It stars Dominique Swain as Dolores “Lolita” Haze, Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert with Frank Langella as Clare Quilty, and Melanie Griffith as Charlotte Haze in the supporting roles. The film faced a hard time finding a distributor and was eventually picked by a cable network, Showtime. Lolita met much controversy; the film got its release date in Australia after two years in 1999.
Originally Portman was offered the young girl’s character, but she refused to do this version of the story. The actress was smart enough to understand that it would be irresponsible to tell the story’s explicit version.
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
Dirty Dancing became the movie icon of that time and focused on the high school student who develops a relationship with the locals. He introduces her to Cuban dancing. The movie stars Diego Luna and Romola Garai.
Portman was considered for the character, but she turned it down too. The prequel of the movie was a commercial and critical disappointment.
The above are a few films offered to Natalie Portman, but she did not do it.
Source-Movies That Natalie Portman Turned Down
