Natalie Portman is one of the most acclaimed and popular actors working in Hollywood. She has been in the business since she was a young girl and has delivered countless incredible performances, been a part of massive franchises, and even managed to win herself an Oscar.
Given her astonishing career over the years, it's no surprise that Portman is one of the most sought-after actors around. Of course, she can only make so many movies, which means there are some high-profile roles she has circled but didn't end up doing. While some of those roles feel like they suited her, others might have better to miss out on.
Should Have Done: Romeo + Juliet (1996)
There have been countless adaptations of the works of William Shakespeare, but Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet is considered by many to be the best. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as the titular young and doomed lovers.
Portman was a strong contender for the role of Juliet and even filled conceptual scenes with DiCaprio before filming began. She lost the role for looking too young compared to DiCaprio, but there's no question Portman would have been captivating in delivering those iconic Shakespeare lines.
Glad She Didn't: Lolita (1997)
Lolita is based on the highly acclaimed and controversial novel Vladimir Nabokov of the same name and was famously made into a movie by Stanley Kubrick in 1962. The story of a professor who falls for a young girl was remade in 1997 with Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain in the lead roles.
Portman was offered the titular role of the young girl, but she turned it down over objections to this version of the story. Portman wisely saw that unlike Kubrick's more subtle take, this version would be explicit, and she thought it was irresponsible to tell such a story.
Should Have Done: King Kong (2005)
Another classic movie to get a modern remake was King Kong. Following the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson helmed an epic remake of the tale of an expedition to a mysterious island where a giant ape is discovered.
Portman screen-tested for the role of Ann Darrow, the woman Kong forms a bond with, but she was deemed too young. Portman had already established herself as a phenomenal adult actor by this point and she is just the type who could make the audience believe in this relationship between a woman and a beast. The part went to Naomi Watts instead.
Glad She Didn't: Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
Decades after Dirty Dancing became an '80s movie icon, a prequel was made that focused on a high school student who moves to Cuba with her family and develops a relationship with a local who introduces her to Cuban dancing. The film starred Romola Garai and Diego Luna.
Portman was reportedly the first choice for the lead female role but turned it down. Not only was it a stretch to have her play a high school student, but the prequel was a huge disappointment critically and commercially. Portman wisely avoided the disaster.
Should Have Done: Gangs Of New York (2002)
Despite having worked with so many incredible directors over her career, Portman has yet to have a chance to collaborate with the legendary Martin Scorsese. She did come close once when she was auditioned for the role of Jenny in his period epic Gangs of New York. Cameron Diaz would go on to take the part.
Not only would it have been great to see Portman in a Scorsese film, but it also would have been fascinating to see her take on a darker role like this. She surely would have been another exciting addition to the talented cast.
Glad She Didn't: Doubt (2008)
The riveting drama Doubt features one of the most impressive film casts in recent memory with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Viola Davis, and Amy Adams all delivering incredible performances. It is the story of two nuns who begin to suspect the church's new priest is hiding something.
Portman was offered the role of the younger nun, eventually played by Adams. While Portman would fit right into the talented ensemble, it's hard to see her playing such a soft-spoken and timid character that Amy Adams can pull off so well.
Should Have Done: Superman Returns (2006)
Before stepping into the superhero world with her role as Jane Foster in Thor, Portman was considered for the role of Lois Lane in Superman Returns, which would end up being played by Kate Bosworth.
The movie was considered a letdown by many fans, but with so much of the story hinging on the relationship between Lois and Superman, it's hard not to imagine that an actor of Portman's skills could have elevated the material and given that relationship more strength to tie the film together.
Glad She Didn't: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
While it's always nice to see Portman take on darker, more destructive roles than she is used to, the role of Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher's crime thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo might have been a stretch for her.
Portman was one of the actors considered for the role of the brilliant and anti-social hacker before Rooney Mara got the part. While it would have been intriguing to see how Portman handled the role, such a distinct character probably benefited from a then-unknown actor like Mara.
Should Have Done: Almost Famous (2000)
The rock music coming-of-age story Almost Famous is set in the '70s and follows a young rock journalist who joins an up-and-coming rock group as they tour the country. While on this wild adventure, he falls in love with a passionate groupie named Penny Lane.
Kate Hudson got her breakout role as Lane, but Portman was also in contention. As good as Hudson was, it's very easy to see Portman as this idealistic lover of rock music whom the main character and the audience are immediately enamored with.
Glad She Didn't: Gravity (2013)
The sci-fi adventure movie Gravity is an unforgettable experience as it feels like it is all happening in one continuous shot. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney play two astronauts whose ship is destroyed, and they are left floating aimlessly in space.
Portman turned down Bullock's role when she became pregnant. Watching what Bullock did in the role, it feels like Portman would have been too young for the part and maybe even too young to be an astronaut in general. Interestingly, she would go on to play one in the hugely planned Lucy in the Sky.