“Probably not a wise choice”: the 2016 role that “absolutely terrified” Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman said she was “absolutely terrified” of taking the lead role in *Jackie*, the 2016 film about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the days after her husband’s assassination. She feared it would be easy to fail at portraying such a well-known historical figure, but chose the role because she is drawn to work that scares her.

Portman spent months studying Kennedy Onassis through footage, books and interviews, and worked with a dialect coach to recreate her changing speaking voice. Made for less than $10 million, *Jackie* earned about four times its budget and received three Oscar nominations, including a Best Actress nomination for Portman, who lost to Emma Stone for *La La Land*. The article also notes Portman’s upcoming Netflix rom-com *Good Sex*, whose distribution rights reportedly sold for more than $50 million.