The Star Wars trilogy, consisting of Episodes I, II and III, has its fans and detractors. In any case, it made it possible to launch or establish a generation of talented actors, including Natalie Portman. The one who has since become one of the stars of world cinema was then very young and still in high school.
When the special effects get in the way of the actors
In an interview given in 2002 for the specialized magazine Star Wars Insider, she returned to her struggles and surprises on set. While these feature films were among the first to make widespread use of digital special effects, she specifically pointed out her problem:
Working in front of a blue screen is the most difficult form of acting because it’s all in the imagination. On stage, the best way to work is to relax and be in the middle of the action, because you have your set, your costumes, all the actors and you’re working in order, so it’s easier to feel the situation.
She then added: “It’s great to be a part of a movie like Star Wars because you realize how small a part you play as an actor. You’re usually the center of attention in your movies, but being in Star Wars puts you in your shoes, because you realize that it’s still two years after the end of shooting until the movie is finished.”
Since then, this has become the norm for certain productions, and we’re thinking in particular of Marvel’s superhero movies, or Avatar franchise where the post-production phase can last months or years.
Episode II’s Weakness
In the end, we can say that the mission was accomplished for Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor and everyone else who managed to convey tension and a lot of emotions on the screen.
Of course, not everything was perfect in these feature films. George Lucas himself recognized in the book The making of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by JW Rinzler that the romantic relationship between Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala was difficult to show: “Showing how much Anakin and Padme love each other is one of my weak points. It’s hard to express it on screen”.
The scenes are often skipped by fans who have developed the habit of saving these rather long and laborious dialogues. Episode II remains no less ambitious with the launch of The Clone Wars, which kicked off an excellent animated series.