Natalie Portman categorises the new breed of Hollywood A-listers who are ready to try anything once, take up any challenge and go to extreme lengths - all for the satisfaction of a job well done. After shaving her head for a role, Portman has become the talk of the town.
Bald is the new blonde. When Sigourney Weaver shaved off her gorgeous black locks for Alien, it was called commitment to art. When Sinead O'Connor hit number one with a bald head, she was bold. Fast forward to today and after teen queen Natalie Portman shaved off her beautiful long hair for her latest movie, V For Vendetta, it suddenly became all the rage.
No more is bald considered bad. Even Bruce Willis says he's a better actor bald. And can you image Vin Diesel with a mop of curls on his head?
If it's good enough for the boys, why should the girls be left behind?
Enter Natalie Portman. She may be only 24, but this young Star Wars actress decided to defy the norm and bare her head for her latest role. Little did she realise that doing so would start a trend and put her among e+'s list of most fashionable celebrities.
Agreed, most 20-somethings a year ago wouldn't have jumped at the opportunity to shave their heads. But that's why Natalie's different from the rest. When the Wachowski brothers (of The Matrix fame) asked her to take it all off on camera in their new comic book action-adventure thriller V for Vendetta, she jumped at the opportunity. "I was really excited to have the chance to shave my head for a movie. That's something that I've always wanted to do, and to have the excuse of a great film to do it for, gave me courage," Portman says.
Although her hair has now grown into a funky, easy-to-spike 'do, Portman did initially get the jitters when the shaving scene was to be shot.
You see, Portman was under intense pressure to get the pivotal scene right - because she had only one chance to capture it on film: the scene had to be filmed in a single take.
"It was a one-shot deal," Portman explains. "That was the most stressful thing about the experience."
Vendetta director James McTeigue says, "The first time I saw her about the role, I had her put her hair behind her head because I wanted to see what she looked like bald. That was the only conversation we had about it. She knew the day was coming. I put three cameras on her, made sure the clippers weren't stuck, and then we shaved her head. She loved it!" he says.
However, loved it or not, Portman was soon desperate to find the hair she had shaved off, as she didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands. The petite actress believes her hair may be in a bag somewhere, but she's not certain. "I have it somewhere," she says, "but I actually don't know where it is. I should find it. It's dangerous not knowing where it is".
Meanwhile, what is it like for a young, single actress to arrive at award shows and premieres without the security of a mop of luscious locks for that added confidence? According to Natalie, it doesn't bother her. What does matter is that she is surrounded by her friends when she attends any event. The actress says she never arrives at Hollywood events, premieres or parties without her childhood friends - because they help steer her away from people she shouldn't be wasting her time with.
Portman admits she's not Tinseltown's biggest fan and has a posse who help her make the right decisions at parties and premieres. "I always make sure that anytime I go to a Hollywood event, I have at least five school friends with me, because they're like my monitors. They're like, ?That person's nice, that person's not. That person won't even look me in the eye or shake my hand to say hi.'
"You sort of see how these people are by how they relate to people around you. With me, everyone's like, ?Hey. How are you?' Like, super over-exaggeratedly sweet."
But that may be because that's the kind of reaction Natalie brings out in people.
The actress is known for her sweet, good-natured patience with people and enthusiasm about life. It would be hard for most people to be rude to a skinny little bald girl with a big smile on her face - a smile that reveals a young lady ready to embrace life in every way. "When I shaved my head," Natalie says, "people did kinda stare a little at first, but then they look [beyond the beauty] and see the real person standing before them.
"I was excited to have the opportunity to throw vanity away and go around with no hair. Making a dramatic change that isn't reversible is always a worthy experience, and that gave me the courage to do it."
So there you have it. Call her dramatic, enthusiastic, fashionable or courageous. Whatever the label, there's no denying that Natalie Portman is a face to watch out for. Here's one little lady who slowly but surely is climbing her way to the top of the Hollywood ladder.
