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

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/probably-not-a-wise-choice-the-2016-role-that-absolutely-terrified-natalie-portman/
- Published: 2026-11-04T20:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T03:41:06+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/2016-role-that-terrified-natalie-portman/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Portman feared she could fail as Jackie Kennedy Onassis.
- Months of research helped shape her performance.
- *Jackie* earned four times its budget and gained three Oscar nominations.

## Summary

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.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.