Natalie Portman tends to play vulnerable yet outwardly confident women, who are all strong in their own way. Her extensive career in TV, movies, and theatre has lent her many opportunities to play determined and quick-witted characters that immediately endear the audience to them.
A character doesn't have to be likable to be strong or interesting, but it is easier to get the audience to root for them if the character is engaging or has a relatable storyline. Portman's many characters are usually multi-faceted, making them fascinating to watch, and most have qualities that make them immediately likable to the viewer.
Updated on July 7th, 2022 by Colin McCormick: Natalie Portman returns to one of her biggest roles as Jane Foster in the MCU's Thor: Love and Thunder. The movie looks to be reworking the character in some big ways which could make for an even more likable version of Jane. This adds to Portman's amazing career filled with complex characters, from the flawed ones that are hard to cheer for to the inspiring heroes who fans have loved.
Lena - Annihilation (2018)
- Available on Paramount+
Lena is a biology professor investigating an alien entity called The Shimmer and its effects on the surrounding areas. She is extremely intelligent, and her desire to save her husband from The Shimmer makes her a likable hero. However, Lena's psychology and hidden motivations make her less likable, for example, when she cheats on her husband and destroys her marriage, along with her and her husband's sense of self.
Portman's performance is mesmerizing to watch as she investigates The Shimmer. She adds a creepy undertone to the role to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, wondering about the ultimate fate of Lena, The Shimmer, and the world around them.
Lucy Cola - Lucy In The Sky (2019)
- Available on Fubo TV, DIRECTV and Spectrum on Demand
Loosely based on a true story, Lucy in the Sky stars Portman as Lucy Cola, an astronaut who returns to Earth after a space mission and has a hard time fitting back into regular life. As she loses touch with reality, she does increasingly destructive things like betray her husband and target another woman out of jealousy.
Lucy is a complex character who struggles with an experience that very few people can understand. But watching her spiral out of control in destructive, cruel, and even dangerous ways makes it hard to get behind her.
Nina Sayers - Black Swan (2010)
- Available on Prime Video and Hulu
Nina puts herself through major emotional and psychological trauma to achieve perfection in her ballet career, forcing herself to break out of her weak White Swan persona to truly embody the seductive Black Swan. Nina becomes more ionate, but takes things to the extreme in her pursuit of perfection, hurting those around her, both emotionally and physically.
Nina isn't meant to be likable in the traditional way, as the film is centered around her mental health and the destruction she causes to those around her. However, by making other characters appear worse than the protagonist - in this case, her abusive mother and creepy ballet director - Nina is made to be more likable by comparison, despite the terrible things she does.
Pe Amidala - Star Wars Franchise (1999, 2002 & 2005)
- Available on Disney+
Pe is an idealist and "defender of truth," trying to right the wrongs in the galaxy and preserve democracy, despite the rise of the evil Empire. Pe is comionate, loyal, and knows how to use her intelligence to get things done.
Although she is one of the strongest characters in the franchise, Pe got worse over the course of the Star Wars films, eventually losing her strength and dying of sadness. Fans are divided over the Star Wars prequels, but their popularity has been on the rise in recent years, so perhaps fans could find more likable qualities in Pe with the benefit of hindsight.
Anne Boleyn - The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
- Available on Showtime, DIRECTV and Spectrum on Demand
Anne Boleyn and her sister Mary are the focus of The Other Boleyn Girl, a retelling of Henry the Eighth's second wife and her downfall. Manipulated by men who used her to gain power, Anne could be seen as a sympathetic character, especially in the beginning when she tried to elope with her true love, Henry Percy, but was denied this right by her family. However, Anne soon gets power-hungry ideas, and her downfall could just as easily be attributed to her as to her family.
Anne Boleyn is prominently featured in the musical SIX, where her story is explained in a comedic way, but The Other Boleyn Girl truly explores the depths to which Anne was manipulated, as well as her own hubris in trying to seduce the king. Audiences may ire Anne's tenacity and audaciousness, as well as her impact on British history as a whole.
Jane Hammond - Jane Got A Gun (2015)
- Available to rent on Youtube
Jane Got A Gun is a Western film that, despite mixed reviews and a chaotic production timeline, showcases Portman's committed and ionate acting ability. Jane's husband antagonizes a group of outlaws, and it is up to Jane and her alcoholic ex-boyfriend to stop them.
Jane is a good shot and a great hero, striving to protect her home against the outlaws that want to tear it down. The movie may not satisfy all fans - as its score currently stands at 43% on Rotten Tomatoes - but most viewers can agree that characters such as Jane become more likable as the story goes on and their motivations become clearer. Jane stands for strength and justice, endearing the audience to her.
Grace Cahill - Brothers (2009)
- Available on Starz, DIRECTV and Spectrum on Demand
Brothers is a very underrated drama featuring terrific work from the talented cast. Portman plays Grace Cahill, a woman whose soldier husband (Tobey Maguire) is supposedly killed in action. As her brother-in-law (Jake Gyllenhaal) gets closer to Grace and her family while helping out, the relationship grows more complicated when her husband returns.
Grace is a good person trying her best to deal with a very hard situation. She makes one small and very human mistake which fills her with guilt yet continues to try to make things better. There are no evil characters in the story, but out of the main character, she is the most sympathetic.
Jackie Kennedy - Jackie (2016)
- Available to rent on Apple TV
Portman is transformed into Jackie Kennedy, looking just like her real-life counterpart, in this 2016 biopic. Her performance is at its best when Jackie is solemn and filled with grief, mulling over the events of her husband's death and wondering how the world will perceive her in the aftermath. Jackie's anger and grief are evident throughout the movie, eliciting sympathy from the audience as she loses control over her life.
The likability of the character is somewhat weighed down by the dour tone of the film, but Portman's performance elevates it and makes Jackie sufficiently relatable in her grief.
Alice - Closer (2004)
- Available to rent on Apple TV
The drama closer is an intimate look at the romantic relationships and infidelities surrounding four people. Alice is a young woman in a relationship when she finds out her partner is having an affair and struggles to overcome the grief.
Similar to Brothers, Portman is part of an ensemble of flawed and human characters and comes out as the most likable of them all. Alice is brave enough to confront those uncomfortable truths in front of her and stands up for herself, but she is also a heartbroken person who wants love in her life.
Lauren - Heat (1995)
- Available on AMC+, Fubo TV, DIRECTV and Spectrum on Demand
Portman has a smaller role in the large ensemble of Michael Mann's few innocent characters in the movie.
She is a young girl with a lot of pain in her life which makes her a very tragic and grounded character in this crime epic. Even with the more exciting elements of the story, Lauren is a character audience grow to care for, worry about, and hope finds the help she needs.
