Natalie Portman Is Open to Returning to 'Star Wars' as Padmé
Lucasfilm just needs to give her a ring.
Natalie Portman is game to return to the Star Wars universe as Padmé Amidala — a role she first played 24 years ago, in Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace. All she needs is a call from Lucasfilm.
In response to a question from a Reddit user in GQ‘s “Actually Me” series, which inquired about Portman’s return as the character in a forthcoming film or television project, she said, “No one’s ever asked me to return, but I’m open to it.”
While her character’s original storyline came to a conclusion in Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, Padmé’s potential return is not all that unlikely. Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker and Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi both reappeared in Disney+’s series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, 17 years following their respective conclusions in Revenge of the Sith. Further, Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn, from Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, also reappeared for the series, making the case for Padmé’s revival that much more tangible.
While Padmé’s story has not yet continued on-screen in live action, it has received new chapters in a trilogy of young adult books as well as the animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Given the return of the aforementioned characters (and Padmé’s multimedia revival elsewhere), perhaps the chances are high that Portman could receive the call soon.
In more entertainment news, Benedict Cumberbatch was cast as Pete Seeger in the forthcoming Bob Dylan biopic.
