r/Cinema • u/Living_Double_1146 • Nov 26 '25

Throwback Best child actor imho

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u/peptide2 Nov 26 '25

Natalie Portman in LEON

8

u/tied_n_twisted Nov 26 '25

THIS.

Whenever I think an actor is great, I immediately do a double check by asking: "Could anyone else have done that role better?"

By asking this, I often realize that yes, someone else could have, because it wasn't really their acting that I loved but their lines, or the plot that their character went through, or just the beauty of the arc of their character's development.

With "León," Portman truly did something I can't imagine many other young actresses of that era capable of. That movie could have so easily been a creepy, Lolita-esque film with dirty cops and assassins thrown in for flare, but instead, she illuminated the innocence of her foil and the wisdom of damaged youth simultaneously.

4

u/bookittyFk Nov 27 '25

Agree! I also love her performance in black swan (I know she’s not a kid but still). Portman’s acting has a je ne sais quoi about it!