Natalie Portman Comments on Star Wars Return (& Now Is the Perfect Time)

Natalie Portman discusses about a possible return to the Star Wars franchise, sharing that she’d be open to reprising Padmé Amidala. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight while on the red carpet for her new film Fountain of Youth, Portman was asked if she’d follow the footsteps of her prequel trilogy co-stars Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen and come back to the galaxy far, far away. The Oscar-winner admitted that nobody at Lucasfilm has contacted her about a potential return, she would be game for it if the opportunity presented itself.

“Listen, nobody’s asked me, but I’m open to everything,” Portman said. “Life’s only fun if you’re open to every possibility.”

Portman’s made similar comments in the past, but so far, Lucasfilm hasn’t looked to bring her back. The actress’ only appearances in the Star Wars franchise are the three installments in the prequel trilogy. Padmé appears throughout the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but Catherine Taber took over the role to provide the character’s voice.

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Earlier this year, there were conflicting reports that Portman could reprise as Padmé in Ahsoka Season 2. Kristian Harloff indicated showrunner Dave Filoni wanted to use Padmé for a “World Between Worlds type thing.” However, other outlets have heard that Portman “is not in negotiations to return.” Ahsoka Season 2 recently started production, but a full official cast list has not been announced. It has been confirmed that Christensen is returning to play Anakin Skywalker.

If Lucasfilm is going to bring Portman back into the fold, now would be the ideal time to do so. Ahsoka Season 2 is the one project the studio has in development that makes the most sense for a Padmé appearance. Though the character died years before the New Republic era (where Ahsoka fits on the Star Wars timeline), Padmé was close with Ahsoka when the latter was Anakin’s Padawan during the Clone Wars. If Filoni is utilizing the World Between Worlds again, that could be a spot for Padmé. As seen in Ahsoka Season 1, Episode 5, the mythical location allows Force users to jump between time and space, allowing Ahsoka to revisit key moments from her youth. Portman could also appear in a more straightforward flashback sequence as Ahsoka recalls a conversation they had.

Given that Lucasfilm doesn’t have any Star Wars movies or shows set in the prequel era in the works, it would be difficult to see how Portman could fit in something other than Ahsoka Season 2. It’ll be interesting to see if the studio takes advantage of this opportunity. Whether or not it happens will depend on what Filoni has in mind for the story. It would be disappointing if Portman made just a small cameo for the sake of fan service. If she’s going to come back, she should play a worthwhile role in the narrative, similar to how Anakin factored into Ahsoka Season 1. In the past, Star Wars has been guilty of leaning on nostalgia as a crutch, but Andor shows the franchise doesn’t need to resort to that to create something compelling and entertaining. Should an icon like Portman return, there should be good reason.