12:30 pm PST

For a while now, we've had a lot of distressed Natalie Portman fans writing us asking if she had a nude scene in Episode 1. Turns out someone is trolling their newsgroups and message boards spreading that false info. Rather than have the bogus rumor spread by bringing attention to it here, we have simply been responding to the people privately in e-mail and letting them know it was not true. Well, looks like it has sprung past the internet into other waters. TJ Berry sent us this from the August 9, 1998 Parade Magazine:

In this morning's Parade Magazine (a weekly insert in most major magazines) I came across this:

"Q: There is a rumor spreading like wildfire on the internet that Natalie Portman will have a nude scene in the Star Wars prequel being planned by George Lucas. Any truth to these reports?- Alfred Huete, Spring Valley, Calif.

A: None whatsoever. Lucas created the Star Wars series as a modern fable for children, and his films are never titillating. Portman, 17-who recently finished a critically-acclaimed run in the Broadway revival of The Diary of Anne Frank- will remain fully clothed as the mother of Luke and Leia in the as-yet-untitled prequel. Rumor has it that she wears ceremonial makeup so pal that she resembles a geisha. (Lucas won't comment.) Dozens of Star Wars Internet sites are circulating tales about the film, which finished principal shooting last October but won't be released until next May. For accurate information, we suggest you go with Lucasfilms' own site at www.starwars.com on the web."

Well, there you have it. If people really knew what Star Wars was all about, then they'd know it was a bogus rumor right off.

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Latest News 4/27/98

PORTMAN SIGNED FOR EPISODES II AND III
Ghent, 11:45am MST

Steve Head pointed us to an article on Yahoo UK confirming previous reports that Natalie Portman will appear in all three prequels.

Triple Star Rating For Natalie (Monday April 27, 5:01 AM GMT)

Natalie Portman, the young actress who dropped out of Robert Redford's film The Horse Whisperer to make her stage debut in the Broadway revival of The Diary of Anne Frank, is to appear in all three Star Wars prequels.

The 16-year-old Portman has already filmed her role in the first one, playing the young queen who is the mother of Princess Leia and has signed for the next two.

In her next role she will play the daughter of Susan Sarandon's character in Anywhere But Here, which tells of the cultural shock the pair encounter when they leave their family and friends behind to start a new life in Beverly Hills.

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New York Times 5/8/97 - Sent to us by Steve Head

The 16-year-old actress -- who was discovered several years ago by a Revlon scout at a Long Island pizza parlor -- is, most certainly, one of the most sought-after young stars in town. Next month she is set to start filming "Anywhere but Here," an adaptation of a novel by Mona Simpson about a mother (played by Susan Sarandon) and daughter who leave their family in Michigan and resettle in Beverly Hills.

She has already completed the first of the three "Star Wars" prequels for George Lucas, playing the mother of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. The highly anticipated "Star Wars" film will be released next May.

Ms. Portman said she was not too intimidated playing the "Star Wars" role. "Because I was born in Israel -- my father's an Israeli -- 'Star Wars' wasn't as iconic as it was in most American households," she said. "It's not as rooted in me personally as it is with a lot of American teen-agers. My friends made me realize what a big deal it was."

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11/07/97

The magazine W has an article about Natalie Portman in their newest issue. Star Wars is mentioned several times in the article. Portman (not her real last name, by the way) is quoted as saying, "I play Princess Leia's mother, and I have 10 different looks." So, we have confirmation from her as to who this "young queen" is. The part about 10 different looks is also interesting....

Thanks to Jordan Krug for bringing this to our attention.

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9/15/97 - We have received extremely convincing proof that rumors of Portman's Character's name is true. Her name is apparently Padme. We are pronouncing it PAD-MAY until we hear something official.

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7/20/97 - This was sent to us by Terri who attended the Sansweet presentation is San Diego this weekend:

Sansweet did say something interesting that I forgot to report earlier: when asked about the differences in Natalie Portman and Jake Lloyd's ages, he said that Lucas was looking for a girl who could convincingly play both "younger" and "older". In order to fit the timeline she will be quite a bit "younger" in Episode 1 than she will be in Episode 2. (So she'll age like soap opera characters... it will only take from 1999 to 2001 for her to age 10 years. :)

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6/30/97 - This was sent to us from Brian Linder from some place. Note the glaring error as to her role. Stinkin' Amatuers! :)

Anne Frank Before Princess Leia - Natalie Portman puts Broadway before Hollywood. The 16-year-old is going to star in a revival of "The Diary of Anne Frank" that hits Broadway in November. The New York Times says Portman turned down a role in "The Horse Whisperer" because of "Anne Frank" and also told George Lucas that she could only play Princess Leia in a "Star Wars" prequel if he could shoot around her Broadway schedule (Lucas obliged). Portman, who has appeared in Woody Allen's "Everybody Says I Love You" and "Mars Attacks," first read "The Diary of Anne Frank" between takes while shooting "The Professional." "It has always been one of my dad's favorite books and he pressed me to read it," she says. "I loved it so much that I began keeping diaries."

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6/10/97 - The Official Star Wars Homepage said the following today: "June 9, 1997: We can now confirm that Natalie Portman and Jake Lloyd have been signed for Episode I! Keep watching the casting page for updates. "

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6/8/97 - 9pm Central - The one and only John Putman saved the day for us and sent these pictures from the Entertainment Tonight Prequel segment from 6/6/97.

Natalie Portman was mentioned as playing the Young Queen, also Luke and Leia's Mom.

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This comes from today's VARIETY (4/9/97) sent by Jay Majer. Not new, but it confirms what we've known for a long time:

Portman Eyes 'Star Wars' Prequel Cast

By Dan Cox

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - She doesn't look much like Carrie Fisher, but 16-year-old Natalie Portman is in discussions with to co-star as Princess Leia's mother at a younger age in the vaunted first "Star Wars" prequel.

Portman, who appeared in "Mars Attacks!" as the First Daughter, would shoot the picture in the summer. She then heads to Broadway this fall to star in "Diary of Anne Frank."

Filming is set to take place at London's Leavesden Studios, with George Lucas directing from his script. Lucas representatives are keeping quiet about the start date and casting choices to avoid an onslaught of publicity.

Portman would join Liam Neeson, who is the top choice to star as the master Jedi Knight, a character that was not in the original trilogy of "Star Wars" pictures. Portman will play The Queen, who is the mother as a teenager of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.

Portman's other credits include The Professional, Beautiful Girls, Heat and Everyone Says I Love You.

Reuters/Variety

starwars@theforce.net