| Natalie Portman: Sheds Hair For Career |
| Karen Marie Shelton |
| Date: 5/30/2005 |
Introduction
 Many
celebrities from Madonna to Britney Spears have been
known to drastically alter their hair styles and
hues overnight to attract media and fan attention.
(Image of Natalie
Portman - May, 15, 2005 - Photo by Jean Baptiste
Lacroix/WireImage.com
- all rights reserved).
Gorgeous 24 year old
Gemini actress (June 9) Natalie Portman (aka Natalie
Heshlag) scaled
new heights in attracting attention to her tresses
when she appeared May 15th at the 2005 Cannes Film
Festival for the sixth and final Stars Wars Premiere
(Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) with virtually no
hair at all.
 Although the Star
Wars pop-culture icon was just recently touted for her
gorgeously twisted, jewel banded tresses, at the
February 2005 Academy Awards, she took a sharp
detour tackling Sinead O'Connor's famous bald look
for her recent appearance in France.
(Image of Natalie
Portman at the 77th Annual Academy Awards, Kodak
Theater, Hollywood, CA - 02-27-05. Photo by
David Edwards/DailyCeleb.com - all rights reserved).
Needless to say,
Natalie's barely there scalp fuzz caused a media and
fan frenzy with onlookers gasping and staring at the
shocking transformation of the nubile actress.
The Israeli born, US
raised star, smiled radiantly for the paparazzi as
she explained the method to her shaved madness.
Losing It For
Her Character
 In her current role
as Evey Hammond
in the film, V For Vendetta,
Natalie plays a young woman rescued from secret
police imprisonment by a shadowy masked
vigilante known simply as "V".
(Image of Natalie
Portman at the "Closer" Premiere at Mann Village
Theater, Westwood, California, November 22, 2004.
Photo by David Edwards/DailyCeleb.com - all rights
reserved).
It makes sense
that a stint in a prison camp would render Natalie's
character nearly bald. The star allowed her
pate to be shaved on camera during filming in
Berlin. Natalie told the media that she found
the entire process of having her shoulder length
locks shorn to be "really exciting".
Not
only did Natalie wish to authenticate the Evey Hammond
character, she found the task of shaving her head to
be "liberating".
 The gorgeous petite actress
was quoted by Contactmusic.com as saying "some
people will think I'm a neo-Nazi or that I have
cancer or I'm a lesbian. "After all the crazy
hairstyles I had to endure for the films, it's quite
liberating to have no hair - especially in this
heat."
(Image of Natalie
Portman at the "Cold Mountain", December
07 2003.
Photo by David Edwards/DailyCeleb.com - all rights
reserved).
Embracing the on-set
head shaving experience, the mega talented actress,
as reported by Time, said she couldn't "stop rubbing
my head." The vibrant star also indicated that
"she might keep it for a while - it's so soft".
Strong,
Confident & Controversial
Anyone
that has studied Natalie at any length would
probably not find it at all surprising that she shaved her
head for a film role.
Controversy, such as
her head shaving actions, seems to follow her to her
movie sets. It was reported in late February
during the filming of "Free Zone" dozens of
ultra-Orthodox Jewish worshippers confronted Natalie
and her co-star, objecting to the couple kissing
during the filming of a scene beside Jerusalem's
Western Wall.
When
asked to leave the site and return later, Natalie,
who has been studying at Hebrew University in
Jerusalem in recent months, agreed willingly.
 The brunette beauty
who has morphed through a series of hairstyles
befitting her naturally curly locks,
has always taken her skyrocketing acting career,
very seriously. The star, who was magically discovered
at age 10 by a Revlon scout, jumped quickly from
becoming a Wilhemina model to a brilliant actress.
(Image of Natalie
Portman at the "Austin Powers In Goldmember
Premiere", July 22, 2002.
Photo by David Edwards/DailyCeleb.com - all rights
reserved).
Natalie, sometimes
also known as Natalie Domini, was a born independent
thinker. An only child born to a doctor and an
artist, she has always been a
high achiever, extremely intelligent and very outspoken
with her opinions.
Her nonconformist acts,
which are somewhat unusual for any average twenty
something actress includes being a staunch
vegetarian and honoring a strong sense of her true
identity. Her committment to Israel includes
regular goodwill visits and unwavering support.
Going Red On
A Whim
When she was 20 and
attending Harvard, she colored her hair bright
lipstick red as a Halloween prank. After all,
Natalie loves to experiment and express her
independence.
The
nubile actress was quoted in a 2002 USA Weekend
article as saying that the character that comes
closest to her true personality is the "sullen,
headstrong daughter of Susan Sarandon in "Anywhere
But Here".
For acting in
Anywhere, Natalie won a Golden Globe Best Supporting
Actress nomination. She also formed a strong
personal bond with Susan Sarandon who reported that
she "always felt relaxed with Natalie". Even
better, Susan commented Natalie "has a wicked sense
of humor".
Summary
 Although the skinhead
look is probably not the most flattering for the
actress who sports a mostly square shaped face, it makes
perfect sense that she would enjoy flaunting her
latest turn at individuality.
(Image of Natalie
Portman at the 2002 MTV Movie Awards, Shrine
Auditorium, Los Angeles, June 01, 2002. Photo
by David Edwards/DailyCeleb.com - all rights
reserved).
Who knows, Natalie
may be expressing that wicked humor streak and
enjoying the shocked reactions of the media and her
fans. Meanwhile, the brilliantly talented
actress is working on six new films that are sure to
get her even more acting accolades.
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