30 Day Film Challenge-Day 18

​A film that stars your favorite actor/actress

I’m a little disappointed in myself with this one. I had every intention of re-watching this film for the first time in probably 15 years or more before writing this post, but just ran out of time. It’s on my list to revisit this fall at some point, and who knows, maybe Santa will be generous and bring me a copy in my stocking. I promise I’ve been good!

So, with today’s category, I suppose I have to explain which actor or actress I’m talking about. For those who don’t know the film, Léon: The Professional is a French action film from 1994 (don't worry, it's in English) featuring Jean Reno as Léon, a hitman in New York City. He reluctantly offers shelter to a young neighbor girl named Mathilda, played by Natalie Portman, when her family is murdered by a corrupt DEA agent named Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman). While I would be happy calling any one of these actors my favorite, I picked this film because it was Miss Portman’s big screen debut and if I had to pick one favorite actor, she would be it.

Now, I admit that I wasn’t aware of Portman until she was cast as Luke and Leia Skywalker’s mother in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. I had seen her in 1996’s Mars Attacks! (as the president’s daughter) but the few other films she’d been in up to that point were not really the kind of stuff I was into when they came out. Once I got to college and gained access to some questionable file sharing services, I was able to check out more of her early films while waiting for my next dose of Portman in the Star Wars prequels. Léon and Heat were the first two I landed on and they did not disappoint.

Portman has certainly had an incredible career that has already lasted almost 30 years. Not only was she cast as Anakin’s love interest, but she also caught the eye of the Mighty Thor in the first two Thor films and is scheduled to reprise that role in the next Thor film, due out in a few years. She has also played Anne Frank on Broadway and been nominated for three Academy Awards, winning once for Best Actress in Black Swan. On top of that, she graduated from Harvard in 2003 with a degree in psychology and even returned to her native Israel to take additional studies.

I haven’t seen every film on her resume, but I generally like the work she does, even when the film itself may not be the best. The fact that she has taken on a diverse set of roles both before and after her work in Star Wars and Thor, demonstrates her skills as an actor. If you haven’t seen some of Portman’s earlier films, I highly recommend checking them out, especially Léon and Heat. Those films and the roles she inhabited were good indications of the success to come for her throughout her career.

Day 17 – Favorite film sequel | Day 19 – A film made by your favorite director

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