Stars in her eyes
STAR TURN: We reckon Nat's career is safe
Thursday May 29 2008
The Golden Globe award-winning actress has left director John Maybury high and dry just as he was about to start filming the Emily Brontë classic novel. What’s even more irksome for Maybury is that Portman pleaded with him for the opportunity to play Cathy in his film adaptation of the 1847 love story. Maybury had initially wanted a British actress to play Cathy — whose ill-fated relationship with Heathcliff is the basis for the story set on the Yorkshire moors — but decided Portman could carry off the part.
What's even more irksome for Maybury is that Portman pleaded with him for the opportunity to play Cathy in his film adaptation of the 1847 love story. Maybury had initially wanted a British actress to play Cathy -- whose ill-fated relationship with Heathcliff is the basis for the story set on the Yorkshire moors -- but decided Portman could carry off the part.
The film's producer, Robert Bernstein said at the time: "Natalie is an extraordinary actress and is right for the role."
It was recently revealed that Lindsay Lohan and Keira Knightley were also in the running for the part.
Maybury remarked: "I certainly wouldn't count Keira out, but it's whether or not she wants to get back into period costume, because she's been in a few period dramas. I don't count Lindsay Lohan out, either. I really believe in the girl and she's coming out from the other side of her well-documented problems -- she just needs to be treated seriously," he said.
Colin Farrell is one of the favourites for the role of Heathcliff. But now Portman's departure (due to a scheduling conflict with an as-yet unannounced project, according to her publicist) comes as a surprise as she was one of the project's driving creative forces.
It's the kind of action that can get an actress a reputation in Hollywood for being unreliable and untrustworthy. Her decision to wrong-foot Maybury will have been noted by other directors, but her previously untarnished record should smooth the way forward.
HanWay Films, the company behind the movie, is now planning an aggressive campaign after the 26-year-old actress left the production just days ahead of the Cannes Film Festival.
They are hoping to find a quick replacement for Portman, whose performances in The Professional, Beautiful Girls, and the Star Wars prequels marked her out as a big star in the making.
- Anna Coogan
