Since Star Wars‘ inception, the technology presented in the galaxy far, far away has always been fascinating to viewers, whether it be the iconic lightsabers or the levitating Speeder bikes. Introduced first in A New Hope, speeders have undergone numerous evolutions with each passing release and remain one of the coolest aspects of the prequel trilogy.
But unlike their onscreen presentation, riding them on set was a disappointing experience for Natalie Portman, who previously spoke in support of the excessive use of blue screen in the prequels.
Natalie Portman Was Disappointed for Not Being Able to Ride a Real Speeder
While viewers can suspend their disbelief and get lost in the galaxy far, far away and its alluring levitating speeders, unfortunately, Natalie Portman didn’t have that luxury. Despite finding the speeder on set enthralling to look at, considering it was just a prop and not the real thing, the Thor: Love and Thunder star was disappointed.
She said (via Star Wars Insider):
“It’s a little disappointing sometimes. We had a speeder we were working on one of the first days, and it looked so cool. It seemed more like a ride than a set-which I think is always pretty exciting at work. It had all these buttons and gadgets, and you get so excited and want to touch everything but none of them are real. They look like buttons, but you go to press them and it’s just, like, a little square pasted on. That’s very disappointing because it just looked so cool in the movie, and it’s not real at all.”
But despite this slight disappointment, the actress had no problem working in front of the blue screen for most of the time during her tenure in the prequels.
Natalie Portman Thrived Acting in Front of a Blue Screen
After Return of the Jedi, the industry, as a whole, saw a huge technological leap, with CGI taking center stage and productions no longer being solely dependent on practical effects. So reasonably, when the Prequel trilogy finally kickstarted, there was an excessive use of CGI, with most of the scenes taking place in front of a blue screen. While many actors have found it pretty difficult to perform in such an environment, for Natalie Portman, it was the opposite.
Not only did she have zero problems performing in front of a blue screen, but Portman described the experience as “the purest form of acting”, as it allows them to run wild with their imaginations.
She explained:
“It’s imagination-that’s why blue screen acting is maybe the purest form of acting, because it’s like being a little kid in a card- \board box and thinking it’s a spaceship. That’s the point you have to get to pure imagination.”
While the Prequel trilogy wasn’t received well initially, the time has been kind to these films, and the Léon star has recently showcased interest in returning as Padmé Amidala if approached by Disney.
Star Wars prequel trilogy is available to stream on Disney Plus.
