Natalie Portman got her movie debut at the age of 12 with the role of hitman protégé Mathilda in Star Wars prequel trilogy.
In the years since then, Portman has become one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood. Such revered filmmakers as Darren Aronofsky, Terrence Malick, and Mike Nichols have been added to Portman’s roster of directorial collaborators alongside Besson and Lucas.
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh has recently received some of the best reviews of his career (and a boatload of Oscar nominations) for his coming-of-age gem a string of iconic Shakespeare adaptations that made the Bard’s work mercifully accessible to mainstream audiences.
Back in Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Branagh cast Portman as Thor’s love interest, Jane Foster. The character was sidelined in her first couple of appearances, but Jane is set to assume Odinson’s godly powers in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder.
Luc Besson
Portman made her acting debut at the age of 12 alongside Jean Reno in Léon: The Professional. Reno plays the titular hitman, while Portman plays Mathilda, the orphan that he takes under his wing and trains as a killer.
Léon is just one of many classic action movies helmed by Besson. The director’s iconic filmography also includes such hit movies as The Fifth Element.
Tim Burton
With idiosyncratic gems like Batman Returns.
Alongside Danny DeVito, Glenn Close, Pam Grier, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, and Jack Nicholson (in a dual role), Portman appears in the star-studded ensemble cast of Burton’s satirical sci-fi gem Mars Attacks!, based on the Topps trading card series of the same name.
Ivan Reitman
Ivan Reitman sadly ed away recently. From Meatballs to Stripes to, of course, Ghostbusters, Reitman directed some of the greatest, most timeless comedies ever made.
Reitman cast Portman opposite Ashton Kutcher in No Strings Attached, a romantic comedy about two casual lovers who – surprise, surprise – catch feelings for each other.
Michael Mann
Michael Mann is one of the world’s most beloved action filmmakers. His action movies have the explosiveness and intensity of “Bayhem” without sacrificing realism. Mann’s slick L.A. noir Heat is a prime example of this.
Heat was the first time The Godfather Part II in separate timelines) – and the long-awaited collaboration didn’t disappoint. They play a cop and the bank robber he’s chasing in a tense cat-and-mouse thriller. A young Portman appears as the troubled stepdaughter of Pacino’s grizzled veteran cop.
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky’s sobering existential dramas have captivated critics and audiences for years. He studied the causes and pitfalls of addiction in The Wrestler.
One of the director’s most acclaimed movies, Black Swan, stars Portman as a ballerina who spots her own doppelgänger. Black Swan received five Oscar nominations – and Portman won Best Actress.
Wes Anderson
Arguably Wes Anderson’s most underrated movie, The Darjeeling Limited, sees three estranged brothers embarking on a train journey across India to discover themselves. Portman makes a cameo appearance as the ex-girlfriend of one of the brothers.
She reprised the role alongside Jason Schwartzman in Hotel Chevalier, a short film that acts as a prologue to the movie, in which the two lovers meet in a Paris hotel room.
George Lucas
George Lucas is one of the most groundbreaking filmmakers in Hollywood. He changed blockbuster cinema forever with 1977’s Star Wars. Lucas also created Indiana Jones and helmed American Graffiti, the gold standard for nostalgic hangout movies.
He cast Portman as Pé Amidala, the mother of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, in the prequel trilogy. The prequels divided fans and critics, but they’ve since been reappraised as underappreciated cult classics.
Terrence Malick
Terrence Malick helped to define the dark, edgy style of the New Hollywood movement with his debut movie Badlands, a romantic thriller about the crime spree of a pair of Bonnie and Clyde-style lovers on the run. Malick has since directed such acclaimed historical epics as Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line.
Portman worked with Malick during the most recent stage of his career: the experimental arthouse era. This era started with Knight of Cups and Song to Song.
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols became another The Graduate, two of the greatest movies ever made.
Portman starred opposite Julia Roberts and Jude Law in Nichols’ character-driven romantic drama Closer, written by Patrick Marber based on his own play.
