Thor: Love and Thunder Director Taika Waititi Forgot Natalie Portman Was in Star Wars

In a recent Rolling Stones interview, Taika Waititi, the director and co-writer of the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, forgot that Natalie Portman starred in the Star Wars franchise. 

In the interview, Waititi recalled a conversation with Portman about working together again, which led Portman to ask what other projects Waititi will be working on. 

“She said to me, ‘what are you up to next?’ I said, ‘Oh, I’m trying to work on a Star Wars thing. Have you ever wanted to be in a Star Wars movie?” recalls Waititi. 

HOW DO YOU FORGET THAT NATALIE PORTMAN WAS IN A STAR WARS MOVIEhttps://t.co/NcfAY1upJA

— Kat Like Meow (@thatchaosfriend) July 6, 2022

Portman played Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequels from the late 90s and early 2000s. The first movie, The Phantom Menace, came out in 1999, meaning that Portman was around sixteen or seventeen years old while filming. The actress returned in 2002 and 2005 in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, respectively.

Brian Hiatt, a senior writer at Rolling Stone who interviewed Waititi, questioned if Waititi was being serious; to which Waititi replied “I forgot about those ones.”

Forgetting Natalie Portman is Padme Amidala, former Queen and Senator of Naboo, is so offensive to me. https://t.co/nYP97yMeGR

— Jordan Hensley (@JordanWritesKY) July 6, 2022

In May 2020, it was announced that the 46-year-old director will be directing and co-writing a Star Wars feature film for theatrical release. Disney has yet to announce the release date of the film. Waititi’s previous projects include Thor: Ragnarok in 2017 and the Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit in 2019.

Currently, the Thor: Love and Thunder cast, which includes Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Pom Klementieff, is on a press tour to promote the film. Thor: Love and Thunder will be released in theaters on Friday, July 8. Fans can watch the trailer for the film here.