#TIFF15: TIFF 40 SOIREE WITH NATALIE PORTMAN

An absolute joy being able to ring-in TIFF ’15 at the TIFF 40 Soiree tonight with none other than Natalie Portman. The Academy Award winner before an intimate audience reflected upon a massively-successful career which began at the age of 11 – just a girl from Long Island –  in Luc Besson‘s The Professional.  We received an extra-special surprise later in the conversation with TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey as Black Swan Director Darren Aranofsky made an appearance too.

Several local talents came out to show their support for the affair, gracing the Red Carpet at TIFF Bell Lightbox including Patrick J. Adams, Amanda Brugel, Kristian Bruun,Megan Follows, Natalie Brown, Kristin Booth, Sarah Gadon and many more.

Portman shed some light on her career, admitting a bit of embarrassment after a clip of The Professional played in the background. “I’ve got to be more forgiving on my 11-year-old self”.  She adds that fortunately her childhood was free of unsettling things, especially after hearing stories from some of her colleagues who were child actors who saw drugs or experienced weird passes made at them.  “My parents were always hovering, but they gave me this great freedom to do whatever I wanted.”.

She admits she wasn’t quite thinking about her career path and more just happy to get a job acting when she was cast in The Professional, stating “I have always loved singing, dancing and putting on shows for the family. A lot of kids form Long Island would do commercials and put it into a college fund.  I knew a lot of kids who had agents, so I begged my parents to get me an agent. I think it was pure chance my first job I got a good director.”.

On her role in Beautiful Girls in which she starred opposite a Timothy Hutton, disarming him much like her character in Garden State, she says “It is a trope of cinema to have a very, very young girl disarm a much older man. She’s nubile and wise beyond her years. It’s not particularly a good trend.  It (Beautiful Girls) was more screenwriters writing a fantasy of a young girl who an intellectual equal.”.

Portman openly admits to being a huge fan of the series Broad City, but admits she has some changed feelings now about her performance in Garden State. “Some of the coolest people I know hated Garden State, so that’s got me feeling a little bit insecure.”.

After a bit of time away starting a family, she now is ready to re-immerse herself as an Actress and we wait with great anticipation.

The Actress-turned-Director is set to premiere her directorial debut at Elgin Theatre tomorrow night, a Biopic about Israeli Author Amos Oz called A Tale of Love and Darkness.

 

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)