Natalie Portman looks back on the role of "Dédéy" Child Star in "Léon: The Professional"

The actor was only 12 years old when she played in the controversial film.


Today, Natalie Portman is a famous Oscar -winning actor for the main roles Black swan, jackie ,, THE Star wars franchise , and many other films. But, her very first film role came in 1994 when she played in Leon: the professional at only 12 years old. THE Luc Besson The film talks about a hitman ( Jean Reno ) Who welcomes a young girl after the death of her family and trained her to become assassin.

Portman was congratulated for his game in the film, and it launched his very successful career. But, the now 41 -year -old actor has complex feelings Leon And about Besson, who faced charges in the years that followed, which she opened in a new interview. In the past, the actor also explained how she was sexualized by adult men after playing the character. Read the rest to see what she thinks of cult favorite today.

Read this then: The former child's star says that she "became a recluse" after jokes on her body spread online .

Portman now finds aspects of the film "Décingy".

In an interview The Hollywood Reporter Posted May 10 Portman addressed the public's response For Leon: the professional And how it impacted it.

"It is a film that is always loved, and people approach me more than almost everything I have ever done, and it gave me my career, but it is definitely, when you look at it now, He definitely has Décingy, to say the least, aspects, "she said." So, yes, it's complicated for me. "

She commented on the allegations against Besson.

Luc Besson in 2017
Isaaack / Shutterstock

As indicated by THR , in 2018, Sand Van Roy , an actor who had appeared in two of Besson's films, said the director had raped her . Eight other women then showed the pretender that the director had harassed or assaulted them in the past. The Van Roy affair was rejected before a French court in 2021; Previously, the case presented by Van Roy had been abandoned due to a lack of evidence. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

A Besson lawyer said at the time: "This hearing in Paris was part of an in progress legal proceedings which began with a police and prosecutor investigation, which exempt Luc Besson and found that no act criminal had not been committed. Mr. Besson continues continues to cooperate fully with the authorities and denying all the charges against him, and he is looking forward to emptying his name. "

Portman said THR that she found the accusations "devastating" and said she was surprised to hear about it. But, she explained: "I really didn't know. I was a child who worked. I was a child. But I don't want to say anything who would invalidate someone's experience."

She received a letter from disturbing fans.

Natalie Portman speaking at 2018 Women's March Los Angeles
Amanda Edwards / Getty Images for Women's Women Los Angeles

Portman has spoken in the past of the inappropriate attention it has received as a child actor. As indicated by Access to Hollywood , when walking for women 2018 in Los Angeles, she gave a speech to be sexualized And feeling as if she had to modify her personality and appearance in order to feel safe. Portman said that the first letter of the fans she received was a "rape fantasy that a man had written [she]" and that she had read a local radio program starting a countdown of His 18th birthday.

"I understood very quickly, even at the age of 13, that if I had to express myself sexually, I would feel dangerous and that men would feel in the right to discuss and objectify my body to my discomfort "She said. Because of this, said Portman, she "built a reputation for being essentially prude, conservative, cheesy, serious, in order to feel that [her] body was safe and that [her] voice would be listened to".

Portman added: "At 13, the message of our culture was clear to me. I felt the need to cover my body and inhibit my expression and my work to send my own message to the world: that I am someone 'A worthy of security and respect. "

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She knew she was marketed as a "lolita".

Natalie Portman at the premiere of
Dfree / Shutterstock

During an interview in 2020 on the podcast Expert armchair ,, Portman has thought about his public image After appearing in Leon and 1996 Beautiful girls .

I was really aware of the fact that I was represented - in a way in a way in journalism, when the films would be released - as, as, this figure of Lolita, "she said.

"Being sexualized like a child, I think I removed my own sexuality," she continued, "because it scared me and that made me feel that the way I could be Safety was to be like "I am a conservative," and "I am serious" and "you should respect me" and "I am intelligent" and "do not look at me in this way".

"While at this age, you have your own sexuality and you have your own desire, and you want to explore things and you want to be open" Annihilation Star continued. "But you do not feel safe, necessarily, when there are older men who are interested, and you say to yourself:" No, no, no, no, no. ""

However, she "liked" to be on the set when he was a child.

Natalie Portman at WE Day California 2019
Dfree / Shutterstock

Despite the overwhelming answer that she obtained adult male fans, Portman said that most of his memories of being a young actor were good. Ask by THR If she has advice to children artists, she said: "Yes, I always want to tell them to treat it as a game more than a job because I don't think children should really have a job."

"It was fun," she continued her own career. "I really knew how to take things seriously when I was a child, but I loved it. I really, really loved."


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