Natalie Portman doesn’t think ‘Léon: The Professional’ could be made now.
The 37-year-old actress made her acting debut at the age of 13 playing Mathilda in the assassin film, a street-wise girl who forms an unusual relationship with her much older neighbour, a professional hitman called Léon (Jean Reno) and becomes his protégée when her family is killed by a corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration agent Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman).
Now, the ‘Black Swan’ star – who has children Amalia, two and seven-year-old Aleph with husband Benjamin Millepied – has admitted that although making the movie was "100 percent a positive experience" she doesn’t think it would be remade today as it’s "largely inappropriate", and confessed she isn’t keen on her kids watching the picture.
She said: "It’s as weird mix. It’s still the thing people come up to me the most on the street, even more than ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Black Swan’.
"I appreciate it when something connects with an audience. It also gave me my career on a platter and was a 100 percent a positive experience. I loved doing it. But you watch and it’s largely inappropriate.
"There’s a lot of stuff in there that’s not amazing through today’s eyes. I think because people are still connected to it and care about it and I personally did not have anything but positive feelings, I still feel more on the proud side. Even though I totally understand – I don’t know how I’d show that to my kids. "
When asked whether the film could be made today, she told Empire magazine: "I don’t think it could.
"There are so many things that [used to be acceptable that aren’t anymore]. There are children’s books I read and I think ‘You Can’t say that!’"
Natalie Portman doesn’t think Léon: The Professional could be made today
