Natalie Portman career1995–1999

During the mid-1990s, Natalie Portman had roles in the films Heat, Everyone Says I Love You, and Mars Attacks!, as well as a major role in Beautiful Girls. She was also the first choice to play Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, but producers felt Portman's age wasn't suitable enough.

In 1997, Natalie Portman played the role of Anne Frank in a Broadway adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank. Portman initially turned down the lead role in the film Anywhere But Here, after learning it would involve a s3x scene, but director Wayne Wang and actress Susan Sarandon demanded a rewrite of the script; Portman was shown a new draft, and she joined the project.

The film opened in late 1999, and Natalie Portman received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ann August. Critic Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon called Portman "astonishing", and noted that "[u]nlike any number of actresses her age, she's neither too maudlin nor too plucky."

In the late 1990s, Natalie Portman was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The first part, Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, opened in early 1999, and the popularity of the film made her well known to audiences. Natalie then signed on to play the lead role of a persevering teenaged mother in Where the Heart Is.