Padmé Amidala actor Natalie Portman reveals that no one ever asked her to return to Star Wars. Portman played Padmé in all three Star Wars prequel trilogy movies, going from the mysterious Queen of Naboo in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace to a fearless senator in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Padmé’s story ended in tragedy, and the character was never revisited in live-action after Episode III.

Replying to a fan on the internet during an interview with GQ, Natalie Portman revealed that she has “no information” on a potential Padmé Amidala return, and that “no one’s ever asked” her to return to the Star Wars universe.

Portman left the door open for a Padmé return, though, as she said she is “open to it.” While Padmé died in Revenge of the Sith, there is more than enough room for Star Wars to revisit the character, either in flashbacks or in stories set during the prequels.

Star Wars Has Brought Back Hayden Christensen & Ewan McGregor - Why Not Natalie Portman?

Obi-Wan Anakin Padme Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars has experienced a “prequels renaissance” in the last few years, especially in the Disney+ Star Wars shows. In addition to animated series such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, which are mostly based on the prequel trilogy’s characters, the live-action shows are also borrowing a lot from the prequels. The biggest example is Obi-Wan Kenobi, which saw the returns of both Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was very much a Revenge of the Sith reunion, as it felt more like a direct sequel to Episode III than a prequel to A New Hope. Even still, while Padmé’s presence was felt on the show, Natalie Portman did not return in Obi-Wan Kenobi. E.K. Johnston’s Padmé trilogy of books has added a lot to Amidala’s character, far more than the prequels did. While those novels explored multiple key moments in Amidala's life, they are an example of how there are still Padmé stories left to be told.

Perhaps the easiest way for Natalie Portman to return as Padmé in Star Wars would be through flashbacks in a potential Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2. Padmé was central to Anakin Skywalker’s story, so Darth Vader’s role in Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 would be even better with Padmé flashbacks involved. A few Galactic Senate flashbacks in Andor season 2 could also bring Portman back as Padmé. Essentially, there is no shortage of options for Star Wars to bring live-action Padmé Amidala back and complete its prequels renaissance.

Source: GQ