Natalie Portman: The Star Wars prequels are now “beloved”

Back when the Star Wars prequel movies — The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith — came out, they were met with a lot of criticism. Whether it was Jar Jar Binks or Anakin’s bizarre analysis of sand, there were numerous issues. Star Natalie Portman (Padmé Amidala) certainly remembers how disheartening it was to see the movies get “slaughtered critically.” But funnily enough, decades later, she’s noticed that the prequels are now “beloved.”

One of the huge factors in the resurgence of the prequel movies is how, over the years, the franchise has built upon them. For instance, there are animated shows, which provide more context to the prequels. Plus, the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi has further expanded on the story post Revenge of the Sith. And of course, the power of nostalgia cannot be overlooked.

Speaking to Variety, Portman explained how the critically panned Thor: The Dark World didn’t affect her decision to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Love and Thunder. She’s not put off by one bad movie. Her experiences with Luc Besson’s 1994 thriller The Professional and the Star Wars prequels saw to that.

"I mean, I had it with The Professional too. It was slaughtered critically, and now, despite having been in Marvel and Star Wars movies, it’s the main thing people come up to me about. That and Star Wars are two examples of things that when they came out, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is a disaster.’ And then 20 years later – actually, 30 years later for The Professional – it’s beloved."

You can see Natalie Portman reprise her role as Jane Foster (except now she’s also Mighty Thor) in Thor: Love and Thunder, which premieres July 7.

Ewan McGregor found it “difficult” to finish the prequel trilogy after The Phantom Menace 

Before being cast in the Star Wars movies, Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) first burst onto the scene thanks to Danny Boyle’s classic British movie Trainspotting. After that, McGregor wasn’t sure Star Wars was for him. “I felt like I was part of this new wave of British cinema, really, and that Star Wars wasn’t me, that’s not what I stood for. I was this sort of urban, grungy, independent film actor,” he told Vanity Fair.

And then to make things even harder, The Phantom Menace got a famously bad response from fans. “It was quite difficult for all of us to deal with that, also knowing you’ve got a couple more to do.”

Thankfully, his work has paid off in the long run. Fans embraced his return to the franchise in Obi-Wan Kenobi. And who’s to say we won’t see more of him?

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels