Natalie Portman's "Weird" Reason for Hooking Up With Thor
Marvel Comics; Evan Agostini/Getty Images; Tony Barson/Getty Images
Natalie Portman knows from fanboys. First, there were the Star Wars prequels. Now, there's Thor.
So what exactly attracts an Oscar-nominated actress to comic-book fare? A love of Norse mythology? Beefy blond guys twirling hammers? A potential franchise? Not quite.
"I just thought it sounded like a really weird idea 'cause Kenneth Branagh's directing it," Portman said during the weekend junket for her much more highbrow flick, Brothers.
"And Ken Branagh doing Thor is super weird. I've got to do it."
She's in good company. Portman will star alongside Chris Hemsworth (as the hammer-wielding god of thunder), Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård and Stuart Townsend. Filming starts in January for a 2011 release.
The decidedly less weird Brothers, with Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal, hits theaters Dec. 3.
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Thor isn't the only flick stocking up on A-listers. Check out our Casting Couch gallery now!
Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal Talk Spider-Man, Mistaken Identities
John Shearer/Getty ImagesColumbia Pictures; John Shearer/Getty Images
Tobey Maguire is still Spider-Man. And that ticks off Jake Gyllenhaal.
See, Gyllenhaal almost took over the superhero role in 2003 when Maguire's bum back had him sidelined. Maguire healed. Gyllenhaal still stews.
"People have very often said to me that I look like Tobey," Gyllehaal laughingly told us at the weekend press junket for their new film, Brothers, in which they play—yes—brothers. "To all those cab drivers in New York, I'm not Spider-Man!"
As for the guy who is Spidey, Maguire insisted there's no ill will between him and Gyllenhaal over the near-replacement in the big-bucks franchise.
"I got really excited about the idea of working with these guys [Gyllenhaal, costar Natalie Portman and director Jim Sheridan]," he said of the new Oscar-baiting sibling-rivalry drama, due out Dec. 3.
But inquiring minds really wanted scoop on Spider-Man 4. And this is what Maguire told us.
Would You Do...Natalie Portman and Her Blossoms?
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images
Any excuse to put up a picture of Natalie Portman is OK by us!
Nat celebrated the premiere of her new flick Brothers and looked absolutely yumma-do-me while doing it. But a little on the thin side, no? Guess that's Hollywood for ya.
Love the hair, love the makeup, love the dress. Her 'do looks classy, while the strapless mini, busty-bouquet number keeps her looking young. We forget the age of this mature Harvard alum sometimes, but we do know that that vibrant blue hue is impeccable.
One thing missing from the party was costar Jake Gyllenhaal.
Is that because he was home playing with his hair?
Brothers: A Family Affair With Jake, Natalie & Tobey
Siblings are always fighting over stuff.
Even the wife and kids.
In the trailer for Brothers, Jake Gyllenhaal consoles the grieving Natalie Portman and her children following the supposed death of Jake's brother, Tobey Maguire. There's just one little problem with this, which the trailer isn't shy about revealing: Tobey's not dead.
Call this a different kind of family film. Think you'll see it?
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Not sure whether you'll see it? Check out some other upcoming flicks in our Movies From the Future! gallery.
Natalie Portman Gets Saucy on Top Chef
Natalie Portman doesn't eat meat, but she likes salty talk.
Seriously. Watch the clip.
In an excellent switcheroo, the cheftestants are invited to cook at Tom Colicchio's Las Vegas steakhouse, only to find that they must prepare a vegetarian meal for Portman, her friends and host Padma Lakshmi, who tops herself in the "silly things Padma says" category this episode.
Remember Portman is seriously vegetarian. This serious. Still, check out what happens when Star Wars' Padmé meets Padma and the judges' critique starts sounding like dialogue from a soft-porn movie.
Trust us, something nasty starts up at the table—and for once it's not the food.
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Need more vegetarian fare? Sample the good-looking gourds in our Pumpkin Pickin' Time gallery.
Natalie Portman Equates Meat-Eating With Rape
Steve Granitz/ Getty Images; Amazon
First, she admits to cutting herself, now she's making criminals of meat-eaters. Make no mistake, Natalie Portman is all grown up and not some shrinking violet.
Penning what amounts to a Harvard-caliber book report for the Huffington Post, the actress and animal rights activist holds forth on her devotion to veganism and her opinion that those who choose to feast on flesh without regard for the moral implications might as well change their name to Roman Polanski.
The 28-year-old—with whose glowing self veganism clearly agrees—starts off harmlessly enough, crediting Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals with her transition from 20 years of vegetarianism to eschewing all animal byproducts.
"I've always been shy about being critical of others' choices because I hate when people do that to me," she writes. "I'm often interrogated about being vegetarian (e.g., 'What if you find out that carrots feel pain, too? Then what'll you eat?').
"I've also been afraid to feel as if I know better than someone else—a historically dangerous stance (I'm often reminded that 'Hitler was a vegetarian, too, you know.') But this book reminded me that some things are just wrong."
That's where the criminalization of carnivores comes in.
Behold! The Blind Vice Superstars Photo Gallery!
Jeff Vespa/Getty Images, Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images, ABC/Adam Larkey, Lester Cohen/Getty Images
The Awful Truth is just as obsessed with our Blind Vices as you nosy folks are, so we decided to take a brief glimpse back at some of our fave celebs honored in our sin-celebrating section. Too fun!
Those celebs featured in our new Blind Vice Superstars gallery are top-drawer Vice subjects, every last one of 'em. And not the minor pissy supporting players, but the major starring beloved Vicers.
No, we're not outing anybody in our photo flip book, though we have in the past—Blind Vices for Teri Hatcher (Death-Mint Myrtle), David Duchovny (Sylvester Slimeball), Doug Reinhardt (Dexter Lecter) have all been revealed, along with a few other trouble-loving stars.
See? We're good sports! And one of these famous faces could be the next Blind babe we're totally willing to expose.
Don't be too cocky like ya know who each one is...There have been many hundreds of B.V.'s over the years, and these are just 25 choice celebs.
Can ya guess who's who? Happy hunting, folks! Here's to foul play!
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Meet 25 of Hollywood's most A-list secret-keepers in our Blind Vice Superstars gallery!
Natalie Portman Abandons Art House, Thunders to Thor
Greg Tidwell, PacificCoastNews.com
Natalie Portman is nothing if not an equal-opportunity people fanboy pleaser.
Both comic-book nerds and summer blockbuster connoisseurs have reason to rejoice today, as the actress—not one typically associated with the grand tradition of green screen, save for her reign as Queen Amidala in Star Wars and surprisingly flattering foray into head shaving in V for Vendetta—has formally signed on to star as the requisite damsel-in-distress love interest in Marvel Studios' upcoming Thor.
Portman will play Jane Foster, the nurse who develops romantic feelings for the Norse god of thunder's earthbound alter ego, Donald Blake. Aussie star Chris Hemsworth, who recently honed his action-star skills as James Kirk the elder, will play the titular superhero.
The film is due out May 20, 2011.
Ah, well. Better luck next time, Jessica Biel. Looks like your woefully superior genetics—and not, to be clear, your acting talent or lack thereof—have struck again.
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