A 14-year-old Natalie Portman left David Letterman stunned with her R-rated movie confession
Natalie Portman gained worldwide recognition with her 'Star Wars' character Padmé Amidala in 1999. However, her Hollywood journey began when she was merely 12 years old with an underrated film, 'Léon: The Professional,' which showcased her on-screen character in a sexually suggestive role. In 1996, she appeared on the 'Late Show With David Letterman' to promote her film, 'Beautiful Girls,' along with co-star Alec Baldwin. Portman impressed the audience and the host with her witty responses and shockingly candid admission of watching R-rated films. "I'm 14 years old now, and I figured out that I've been alive as long as your show's been going," she cheekily replied to Letterman's query about being underage.
"What kind of a student are you? Do you get pretty good grades?" The host prodded further. "I'm a straight-A student," she quipped to Letterman's surprise. "Do you ever get in trouble the way other kids do?" the comedian inquired further. Portman then detailed a hilariously awkward incident where she and her friends Rachel and Lauren rented out an adult film and got busted. "So I and my friends rented this movie called 'Threesome.'. And you know it's appropriately named, and whatever. There's a scene where they get together, and her mom walked in right as that scene came on. So my friend jumped up. She's like, This isn't reality, bite, and she got it out like, Damn, Blockbuster."
Letterman and Baldwin were left stunned by the revelation because the film actually starred Stephen Baldwin. The trio then burst into non-stop laughter, with Portman mouthing, "One of your brothers," nice and clear while pointing towards Alec. "I must say if one of us doesn't get you, the other one will. I mean, corrupting you," the 'Boss Baby' actor instantly shot back. The late show host then encouraged the teen actress to get back to studying and getting good grades for the future. "Go back to school now and study and get some more A's, all right, Natalie?"
Despite her naughty nature, fans found her eloquent and intelligent for her age. "She's adorable. Acting since she was a child, and she still has her head on straight. A product of good parenting," an online user gushed. "Incredible that she's only 14 here and speaks and acts like this on TV on top of it all," a fan complimented. "Her realization of who actually starred in Threesome is an all-time great interview moment," a netizen joked. This wasn't her first time enthralling the audience and the host; she had bunked school to be a guest on the show while promoting her first film as a 13-year-old. "Do you ever get a chance to watch this show? Do you ever stay up and see this show?" Letterman quizzed her.
She acknowledged being a fan and watching the show on Friday nights; during the segment, Portman revealed that she was discovered by a talent manager at the age of 10 who wanted her to model for Revlon. However, Portman refused the offer and requested him to introduce her to acting agents, which eventually opened doors of opportunities for her. Portman has since gained a massive fan following, and her net worth is a staggering $90 million.