Last Friday was more or less a typical day in the life of Ivy League college freshman Natalie Portman. She had been out late the night before watching a friend play jazz at a local club. She woke early to take care of some schoolwork before her 9 o'clock class and then zipped over to a local elementary school where, with some of her classmates, she's teaching dance to fifth- and sixth-graders. Following that, she had lunch with a friend, ran some errands, returned to her dorm room and crashed.
"I'm so tired all the time," Portman says, (relatively) fresh from a catnap. "I sit down, and I end up falling asleep. It's awful."Needless to say, she's having the time of her life.
Portman's collegiate journey (she asked that we not disclose the name of her school) neatly parallels the theme of her new movie, "Anywhere but Here," a comedy-drama about the evolving relationship between a mother and daughter who try to start a new life for themselves in Beverly Hills. Portman was 17 when she shot the movie last summer, and, like her character, Ann, she was eager to begin making her own way in the world.
"Right now, she's just completely afire with college and learning," says Susan Sarandon, who plays Portman's mother in the film.
Question: So I'm guessing you've established a fairly flexible curfew for yourself as a college freshman.
Answer: (Laughs) You could say that. You know, you learn. Certain nights, I'll say, "I'm not going to go out." And I think I can handle a lot more than my parents imagined.
Question: What frustrates you about acting?
Answer: A lot of things. I have a real problem with love scenes. I did my first one over the summer in this movie, "Where the Heart Is." And it was the best possible situation: I liked the director, and I was really good friends with the guy, but there was nothing going on between us. And we were both completely dressed under the covers (laughs) and we didn't have to do anything explicit . . . just kissing and stuff.
Question: And you still freaked out?
Answer: I was so uncomfortable. I just felt so weird being told to kiss someone that I didn't want to kiss. I almost felt whorish, being told what to do in a sexual way. I guess if I had surrendered completely to my character, I wouldn't have felt that way. But I couldn't. And I think it would be even harder if I had a boyfriend. I was thinking, "I hope I get married someday, and then how would I feel?" It would probably be worse."
Question: And next summer, it's back to being Queen Amidala in the next "Star Wars" film.?
Answer: And off to Australia. And because I have that already set up, I'm not reading any scripts. I'm in a little bubble here. I gave my agent my phone number and told her, "I only want you to call as a friend."
Question: Have you even been to a movie since school started?
Answer: I couldn't even tell you what movies are out right now. It's the first time in my life where I'm not even following that. I'm just totally blind to the outside world. I read my daily newspaper, and that's about it.
Question: So it's Friday night. You're exhausted. Naturally, you'll be going out with your friends.
Answer: Of course I am! It's Friday night, and I've been working so hard all week. I've earned it. Besides . . . I can always study over the weekend.