In the past year, there’s been nary a character from Star Wars mythology who hasn’t been rumored to make an appearance in next year’s Star Wars: Episode IX, and so it was inevitable that the speculation would touch on the possibility of Kylo Ren’s grandmother Padmé Amidala showing up, be it in visions, flashback, or other means. And while this idea was never especially plausible to begin with, actress Natalie Portman has helped put the theory to bed once and for all in an interview with BuzzFeed.
In a newly shared clip, the Vox Lux star is visibly surprised when told what the rumor mill has been saying, prompting her to respond:
“I’m guessing that’s not true because I don’t know about it yet.”
Natalie Portman addresses the rumors that she'll be reprising her role as Padmé Amidala in #StarWars: Episode IX 👀 pic.twitter.com/mStIBOgjMh
— AM2DM by BuzzFeed News (@AM2DM) December 20, 2018
Well, that’s that, and with all due respect to Portman, it’s probably for the best that she won’t be showing up. While there are certainly characters in the Prequel Trilogy who draw more ridicule these days than Padmé, she’s not exactly a popular favorite either, and with just about every person she shared the screen with being long dead, it’s unclear what purpose an Amidala cameo could really serve.
Moreover, looking at this from Portman’s perspective, the actress has insisted in the past that her high-profile but heavily criticized performance in the Prequel Trilogy actually hurt her career for a while. And now that the actress seems to be doing pretty well for herself, you have to wonder why she’d even want to return to the role.
In any case, seeing how this is still a J.J. Abrams movie, you can expect to receive a few blasts from the past when Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.