Natalie Portmans filmography is packed with 20 years worth of dynamic characters, but very few of them are based on real-life figures.
But now shes taking on the role of Jacqueline Kennedy forJackie, which has its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday night and the actress tells EW that channeling the American icon wasnt a task she took lightly.
Shes so well-known in terms of what she looks like and what she sounds like and how she moves, so to get that is definitely daunting, she says of the preparation she did for the film, which follows the titular, grief-stricken widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, as she forges ahead under intense public scrutiny in the days following her husbands 1963 assassination.
Credit: C Flanigan/FilmMagic
Though Portman admits the thought of living up to historys perception of Kennedy was intimidating at first, her dedication to nailing the former First Ladys physicality paid off; the Oscar-winning performer received some of thebest reviews of her careerfrom critics at the Venice Film Festival last week, where the film had its world premiere ahead of winning the Best Screenplay award at the events annual awards ceremony on Saturday.
The 35-year-old doesnt credit herself alone for giving what could be one of the defining performances of her career; she says Pablo Larrain, director of such films asNo,Neruda, andThe Club, inspired a candid energy in Portman that allowed her to add a distinct edge to her interpretation of a woman whose identity many Americans already feel familiar with.
[The set] was really playful and improvisatory, and I think it allows us to see many different sides of her, Portman says of the project.
Stéphanie Branchu
[We see] the toughness of who she was, dealing with what she had to go through while keeping herself together for the sake of the country and her family, and also the vulnerability and the intelligence of how she really crafted [JFKs] legacy.
Catch a first look at Portman in action as Kennedy in the clip above.Jackiescreens through Sunday, Sept. 18at the Toronto International Film Festival.
