By Rebecca Murray @ About.com

Ever since “Beautiful Girls” I’ve been a fan of Natalie Portman, though I have to admit I’m not a big “Star Wars” supporter. I actually liked the older ones with Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher but the new ones don’t really do anything for me. But my dissatisfaction with the new “Star Wars” films has nothing to do with Portman. She’s a solid actress even when the material supporting her isn’t that great.
With “Garden State,” Portman is provided with strong material and the chance to stretch her comedy legs. Alongside writer/director/actor Zach Braff and Peter Sarsgaard, Portman’s enchanting in this critically acclaimed, emotionally moving story of family, friends, and love.

INTERVIEW WITH NATALIE PORTMAN:

How did this project come to you?
I got the script from my agency and I read it. I can already tell when I’m reading a script if I start saying the lines while I’m reading it, that it’s something I’m really excited to do because I can’t even wait ‘til the second round to start hearing what it sounds like. So it was very exciting and really fun to see a character that was so uninhibited in allowing herself to be as kooky as she felt.

Is the character like you?
I don’t think so. Well, I definitely have a sort of silly, kooky side to myself and you always take a part of yourself for the character. But obviously, I mean, it’s a character. She’s a girl working [at] a sort of boring job in New Jersey, coming up against a disease that she’s had since she was little and the disappointment of that and what it did to her hopes. And, you know, she’s obviously had a very different life experience than I do.

Was she based on anyone you knew?
The script was pretty specific in terms of how I envisioned the character. But yeah, I pick up little quirks from people. I’m one of those people who, like if I’m around someone who has a distinctive way of talking, I start talking like them, following their speech pattern. So I definitely pick up things from people all around.

How were you comfortable acting crazy?
It took a lot of letting go, I guess, because I’m someone who’s a little more inhibited and a little more reserved. But it was fun because I could always blame it on the character, so I got to experiment with myself and say it was just character quirks.

Do you like doing comedy?
It was really fun. I think people always think I’m so serious but I’m pretty into laughing and having a good time. My favorite kinds of movies to watch are comedies and fun movies, entertaining movies. So it was fun to get to play around, and Zach created this atmosphere where we’re all just joking around all the time. We were all focused and excited to be working on this film, but we would joke around between takes and then we would role and it was just sort of the same energy of a group of friends hanging out.

What was harder, the funny moments or the emotional ones?
You know, they’re all sort of…if they feel true to me, it’s not that hard. I think you can always tell, like for me, I can always tell the lines that I’m uncomfortable saying because I sort of mumble them. But if it feels true, I think it’s always relatively easy to play. I try not to do things or if there’s something that I like and has moments that don’t feel true or I think would be hard for me to get, that’s when I start talking to a writer or director and saying, “I like this, but this part doesn’t really make sense to me.” People are usually receptive to that.

How different is it acting opposite your director?
He balanced it so well. I mean, he was really so fluid wearing all these hats. He was going in and out of being writer, director, actor really, really quite fluidly. And it was really impressive because he did it with a real ease. He wasn’t stressed out after every scene, like a stressed out control freak. He really was able to just be so relaxed and confident about it that we always knew who the leader was, but he sort of made it a collaborative feeling so we knew we were creating right along with him.

You’re so expressive in this movie. Do you train specifically with facial expressions?
I sort of do that a lot and I, actually every time I watch myself, I’m like, “Oh no, I’m doing too much. I need to tone that down a little bit.”

What was the funniest moment on the set?
The dog humping scene. The dog had like a two part cue for the humping. So the mounting cue [was], “Love him up.” So the trainer goes, “Ike, love him up, love him up.” So he mounts. And then the gyration one was, “Who’s your bitch?” We were all just losing it and Zach’s like getting raped by this dog. It was the funniest thing.

Did you all hang out a lot on set of “Garden State?”
Yeah, I mean, your trailer is like a bathroom without a toilet, so it’s much better to stay on the set between takes and hang out. We all really had fun hanging out with each other and were like friends. I think you feel that energy in the movie too, a bunch of friends hanging out.

Do you have any personal experience of going home and reuniting with friends, like we see in this movie?
Not really because my friends are still my friends from when I was like 12. Like all my best friends are my friends from high school and then college. But I’ve been their friends throughout so it’s not like I have any estrangement from people.

Is it a release to do a small film after a big one like “Star Wars?”
Well, it definitely brings you down to the essential elements. I mean, there aren’t explosions or battles or special effects. It’s really about the characters and the story and that’s it – and their relationships. So yeah, it definitely makes it more concentrated, where all the energy’s concentrated in this one thing instead of dispersed over this larger scene.

Does that visibility allow you to do smaller films?
Absolutely. It’s a wonderful opportunity that I’ve had to be in those films because it does get people more familiar with you and maybe, hopefully, [it] would make them see other things that you’re working on.

Are you finished doing “Episode III?”
I finished principal photography on the third one last summer, like a year ago, and we do reshoots in a month. In London.

Will you be glad when it’s over?
I think everything, every end in any phase of your life is always – there’s always an excitement to start something new, a new phase and always a little bit of sadness of leaving the last phase.

Do you have better chemistry with Hayden Christensen this time?
Yeah, I mean, we I think we both really work well off each other. He’s a great actor and he did a really great job in this. Yeah, I think we worked really hard on this one and we all were really comfortable.

What’s your next film?
It’s called “Closer.” Mike Nichols directed it. It’s coming out December 2nd, and it’s with Clive Owen and Jude Law and Julia Roberts. And we just play four individuals who have very complex relationships, speaking of.

What’s working with Mike Nichols like versus other directors?
Mike is, well, I’ve known him for like six years now. We did “The Seagull” together a few years ago in Central Park. And it’s just so amazing to work with someone who’s…I mean, he’s like one of my best friends. And he’s literally, like, I have a problem with a boyfriend or a friend or life or decisions or what movie to do, or where to go on vacation, he’s the one I go to running. He’s my best friend, he’s my mentor, he’s like a father. He’s like the father I can talk to about boys because he’s not actually my father. He’s just wonderful. Working with someone I know that well was really freeing too because I just trusted him so much that I was like, “I’ll do anything.” And I just know that he has me in his best interests and I have him in my best interests and so I’m willing to give him anything because I know that he’ll make it okay.

Is there any stage role you’re yearning to do?
I’d love to do something contemporary by a new, current writer. That would be really exciting, so it’s not like a particular role. I’ve had the incredible opportunity to play these really challenging parts, but I’d love to do something challenging and contemporary because all the stuff I’ve done is period on stage.

Do you have any other projects in the works?
I am starting a film called “The Smoker” in the fall that Richard Linklater is doing.

Are you smoking?
No, it’s actually – I think they might change the title because the title comes from the short story and the purpose of it, it’s like the smoker is the teacher’s room that they all smoke in at the school and that’s not really explained in the script anymore. So I don’t know, the title might change unless they can explain it somehow. It’s not really about a smoker.

Will you be playing Lois Lane in the “Superman” movie?
You know, I haven’t heard anything about it personally. I know there’s rumors about it online because reporters keep asking about it, but I don’t really know. I haven’t read it or anything.

How tough was it to make the transition from being a child actress to an adult?
I just try and do stuff that’s different, stuff that keeps me interested, learning new things, trying new things and having new experiences. I’ve been really lucky to get to keep working throughout and get to go to school and have a regular growing up experience too ,which I think has been really helpful because I’ve gotten to develop myself too. It’s not just like I get to play other people all the time. I’ve had time to figure out who I am and get a sense, not that that’s ever done, but that I’ve had that time for myself too.