When Natalie Portman turned 14 in the summer of 1995, the decade ofgrunge fashionanduncensored TVwas well underway.
MTV had lightened its playlist of music videos to make room for unscripted shows likeThe Real World.
John Grishams crime-and-punishment novels reigned atop bestseller lists.
She declined a modeling offer but parlayed the conversation into landing an acting agent.
I was largely very lucky, says Portman, now 41, of being famous so young.
People treated me very normally, but it did definitely affect certain things in high school.
Below, Portman reflects on the pitfalls of teenage stardom and the part that got away.
Congrats on the documentary.
What do you remember about that championship game between the U.S. and China?
It was so exciting and inspiring to get to meet them, and to be part of this together.
So you turned 14 in 1995, which is when you filmedHeat.
Do you have any favorite memories from that set?
He was so kind and generous.
How did you balance being a working actor and also a good student?
My parents didnt really let me miss school, so it would always be around a school vacation.
When did you schedule the auditions?
Often Id finish school, and shed pick me up, and wed go straight to the city.
Oh, I was dying to be inLes Miserables[on Broadway].
They were auditioning young Cosette, and there were kids I knew from dance school who got the part.
That was always a dream for me at that age.
When you didnt get a part, how did you handle that disappointment?
Sounds like a healthy approach.
One of the things that we inevitably end up talking about inthis columnis puberty.
What was your experience of puberty, since you were already in the public eye?
[Its] extremely inappropriate, to say the least.
When do you think you started realizing that it was wrong?
It took me being an adult, I think even a mother, to realize how wrong that was.
When you read a review and felt some way about it, who did you talk to?
I kind of kept it to myself.
I dont know that I talked about that a lot.
If I did ever come across it, to try not to take it to heart.
But I learned quickly not to read it.
Did that apply to both your public and private lives, or were you able to separate them?
And last question: What advice would you give to your 14-year-old self today?
To not take everything too seriously and just be silly.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
