Love and Thunder' Director Forgot Natalie Portman Was in 'Star Wars' - harchi90

Love and Thunder’ Director Forgot Natalie Portman Was in ‘Star Wars’

“Thor: Love and Thunder” director Taika Waititi was so enthusiastic about the chance of working with Natalie Portman, that he momentarily forgot her lengthy résumé.

“Natalie said to me, what do you do next? And I said ‘I’m trying to work on a ‘Star Wars’ thing,” Waititi told Rolling Stone when recalling how he pitched her on returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the “Thor” sequel. “Have you ever wanted to be in a ‘Star Wars’ movie?’ She said, ‘I’ve been in ‘Star Wars’ movies.'”

“I forgot about those ones,” Waititi added, laughing.

Waititi was referencing the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy in which Portman had a very important role not only as Queen (and later senator) Padmé Amidala, but also as Anakin Skywalker’s secret wife and eventual mother to Luke and Leia Skywalker.

padme star wars episode 2

Natalie Portman as Senator Padmé Amidala in “Star Wars.”

Lucasfilm


You could argue that there would be no Skywalker Saga without Padmé.

Not much is known about Waititi’s “Star Wars” project.

First announced in 2020, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy described Waititi’s film as “fresh, unexpected, and … unique.” According to Vanity Fair, Waititi’s movie will likely be the next “Star Wars” movie we see in theaters.

In “Love and Thunder,” Portman reprises every role as Dr. Jane Foster, an astrophysicist who, this time around gets to wield the mighty hammer of Thor.

Natalie Portman as Mighty Thor in "Thor: Love and Thunder."

Natalie Portman as Mighty Thor in “Thor: Love and Thunder.”

Jasin Boland/Marvel Studios


Waititi told Rolling Stone that he pitched the idea of ​​bringing Foster’s character back into the fold.

“Basically, I was like, a lot of fans miss Jane Foster, and people want to see her again,” said Waititi.

According to Waititi, Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige was more than receptive of that idea, saying he wanted to figure out a way to bring Mighty Thor into the movie with Portman in the role.

“It didn’t take much convincing,” Waititi said, adding, “She had never heard of that [Jason Aaron] run of the comic, so I just dropped off some comics for her… Anytime you ask, how did we cast so-and-so? We offered them millions of dollars and they said, ‘Yes!'”

“Thor: Love and Thunder” is in theaters Friday. You can read our review here.

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