"I'm in school during term time, I make movies in the summer, then I do publicity on the weekends," she explains. "It's not that difficult. I love going to school and all my school friends are great. They're not at all jealous or intimidated. A couple of them came to visit me [on set]. I need to be surrounded by friends as well as work people. We had a lot of fun in Sydney."
"Fun" is Portman's one-word summary of Episode II, soon to be available on DVD. Freed from the cumbersome makeup and stately wardrobe of Episode I, Portman delights at Padmé's more aggressive actions in Attack of the Clones. Sure, she got to storm her own palace in Menace, but that's nothing compared to fighting alongside Jedi warriors and going toe-to-claw against a nasty cat creature. "I got a few small bruises and pulled muscles, but nothing serious," she says.
Yet through it all, Padmé Amidala remained well coiffed and fully accessorized. "That makes me laugh," she admits. "A lot of the time, Padmé is running around without her assistants, but she always has amazingly flamboyant hair. She must be very skilled at styling it herself."
Another perk of Episode II is that for once, Portman gets to play the older woman in a romantic scenario. "It's about time, isn't it? After Leon and Beautiful Girls, I kept being made out as this 'Lolita' character, and now I get to be the cradle-robber," she laughs.
She also chuckles at the rumors alleging an off-screen relationship with co-star Hayden Christensen. "I'm now the envy of little girls everywhere, which is better than being perceived as a bad person who robs stores or something," she says. "There are much worse rumors people could make up about you."
What is true is that she swiped an Anakin-related memento from the set; she now owns one of the Padawan's braids used in the film. "There were like 12 of them so I knew one wouldn't be missed."
Knowing that young girls around the world are watching Padmé Amidala with a twinkle of heroism in their eyes, Portman switches to a more serious gear when discussing her alter ego as a role model. "I hope she has elements that young girls would aspire to," she says. "She's a leader, she's idealistic and a good human being who has compassion for others. Plus she's not corrupted by politics; she takes care of herself and she's vulnerable to love -- which everyone is."
Portman's commitment to her educational pursuits would make good role model material as well. "It is important for me to be the most rounded human being I can possibly be and to learn as much as I can learn," she says. "For me, school and college have helped me understand myself better and given me the tools to live a full life and grow as a person."
This story originally appeared in issue #70 of the StarWars.com Homing Beacon email newsletter.
