Natalie Portman likes to try out ‘wild experiences’ on film

Natalie Portman has been deliberately choosing film roles which are completely different from her own life.

The Black Swan star’s recent film roles have included Annihilation, in which she played a scientist investigating a mysterious quarantine zone, Vox Lux, in which she portrayed a troubled popstar, and the upcoming Lucy in the Sky, in which she plays an astronaut who returns home after a transcendent experience in space and begins to lose touch with reality.

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Natalie, who is mother to eight-year-old son Aleph and two-year-old daughter Amalia, explained she has been making a conscious effort to select parts that are far removed from her real life.

“I just feel weird if I’m at work pretending to be a mom to some kid who’s not my kid," she said. "So, I’ve been trying out wild experiences like being an astronaut or a popstar."

Natalie made her feature directorial debut in 2015 with A Tale of Love and Darkness and is keen to get behind the camera once again.

She is also in the early stages of writing a screenplay, and she tries to set aside time to work on the script once her children are asleep and she’s completed household tasks.

"I’ve been working a little bit, you know, I get the kids to bed, do the dishes, do the laundry, and then write for an hour,” the Oscar-winning actress explained.

In keeping with her desire to have “wild experiences”, it was recently announced that the 38-year-old would be playing the female Thor in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. She told her Instagram followers she was going to get “jacked” to reprise the role of Jane Foster.

Lucy in the Sky, which also stars Jon Hamm and Dan Stevens, is due to be released later this year.