Arts & Culture

Natalie Portman Is Not Doing Any Holocaust Movies

By Jewcy Staff / January 7, 2010

Actress Natalie Portman is known for her mostly good taste in roles (although the less said about Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, the better), especially compared when other starlets in her peer group. So, how does she decide what kind of parts she wants to play? She told the Daily Mail:

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do comedy. It’s just that I would only get offered girlfriend parts in guy comedies, which aren’t exciting to me, or those offensive roles in romantic comedies where the woman has to have a job in fashion so that she can have nice clothes, and her goal is always marriage. I’m more interested in finding characters that make me laugh.

Well, she’s open to doing comedies, so that’s great. However, as the most notable Jewish actress in her generation (and possibly in all of Hollywood), what does she think about playing Jewish characters? In New York, I Love You she played a Hasidic bride. But that role is the exception, not the rule:

I’ve always tried to stay away from playing Jews. I get like 20 Holocaust scripts a month, but I hate the genre.

Is the problem here that Natalie doesn’t like Holocaust movies, or that the only Jewish characters in most mainstream films are connected to the Holocaust? Something to ponder.

Also, this must mean Natalie’s dislike of playing Jews must not extend to being Anne Frank on Broadway.

POST A COMMENT

  • By Tommy Barrios 4/29/10 at 4:19 p.m. UTC

    Her best role ever to me was as Mathilda in The Professional with Jean Reno as an Italian hit man. Positively provocative and so very realistic portrayal. 

    She has matured greatly since then but has not come close again to that eye opener;-)

  • Jason Menayan
    By Jason 1/7/10 at 12:09 p.m. UTC

    The same reason gay actors avoid playing gay characters. It doesn’t mean they’re necessarily ashamed of being gay – they just don’t want to limit their possibilities.

    That said, I think Princess Amidala plays a fine Jew. 

  • Tamar Fox
    By Tamar Fox 1/7/10 at 10:40 a.m. UTC

    Wasn’t she, like 14 when she played Anne Frank? And that’s kind of a classic role. It’s kind of different from signing up to do another Hoocaust movie. I’m not crazy about her saying she avoids playing Jews, though. That’s weird.

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