Natalie Portman Refuses To Show Her Son The Star Wars Prequels

At 35-years-old, Natalie Portman has enjoyed a successful career that many actresses would be envious of. The actress began acting as a child before she signed to star in what’s arguably the world’s most famous franchise, Star Wars. Playing Padmé Amidala, the Israeli-American actress quickly became one Hollywood’s top stars when she was little more than a teenager. Now, the actress is married with a son who’s apparently a big fan of the Star Wars franchise. So, really, it’s a bit surprising to hear that Natalie refuses to show her son the franchise’s prequels.

Speaking with Jimmy Kimmel, the actress said her son still hasn’t seen the prequels which she starred in. And, no, it’s not for the reason you’re probably thinking. The actress’ decision has nothing to do with the films’ controversial (and often laughed at) reputation. In fact, Natalie wishes she could show the Star Wars prequels to her son.

“It’s kind of a shame,” she explained. “You know, when I made it, I was like, “This is going to be the coolest thing. One day when I have kids, I can show them.” And boys, of course, are obsessed with it and know all about it before they’ve seen it.”

However, Natalie realized there was one big issue that kept her from queuing the film for her son: Padmé’s fate. “I realized, I die in the movies,” she said. “I feel like it’s kind of a scary thing to show your kid.”

For older kids, the on-screen death surely wouldn’t cause much of a fuss. But, as Natalie pointed out, her son is too young to understand the difference between Padmé dying and his mom. The actress did say he knows about her role in Star Wars, so he will likely see the secondary trilogy one day. So, for now, Natalie just has to wait a few more years before she can show off her work.

While the actress didn’t say whether her family had seen the newest Star Wars film, Natalie did confess her son knew about the franchise. If her son has already seen some Star Wars films, then he could be watching the films as many die-hard fans did decades ago, starting with original trilogy. However, with Episode VII released and VIII in post-production, Natalie’s son might part of the first generation of Star Wars fans who begin with the original trilogy, move onto the newest films, and then visit the prequels to finish the franchise off.