Natalie Portman has had a longstanding film career, and has become a household name from her work in franchises like Star Wars and Thor, as well as her indie film work in Black Swan and this year’s May December. No matter how established, Portman still is sometimes mistaken for another famous actress. While I can’t imagine not recognizing Portman, I totally see the resemblance between her and another well-established actress.
Portman was recently featured in the Hollywood Issue of Vanity Fair alongside other A-Listers like Bradley Cooper and Pedro Pascal. During the interview for the publication, the magazine had the actors ask each other questions, including if they get recognized on the street and mistaken for someone else. Colman Domingo said that one time he was mistaken for Idris Elba, which I personally can’t see. However, when Portman mentioned being mistaken for Keira Knightley, I totally understood. It didn’t seem to bother the Jackie actress, and she takes it as a compliment. She said:
Keira Knightley, all the time. Very flattering.
This hasn’t been the only time the resemblance between the two actors has been pointed out. Keira Knightley played the double for Natalie Portman’s character in Star Wars Episode 1: A Phantom Menace. In the film, Knightley’s "Sabe" is used as a decoy to protect the real Queen of Naboo, Padme, played by Portman. With all the makeup Portman had to wear in that film, the made-up Knightly was almost indistinguishable from the real Padme Amidala. It’s been a while since they starred in a movie together, and Knightley even admitted to forgetting her role within Star Wars, so I think they are overdue for another collaboration.
Portman isn’t the only actor who has been wrongly recognized. Just recently The Hollywood Reporter mistook Justin Hartley for Glen Powell at the Golden Globes. Mark Wahlberg has also talked about being called Matt Damon fairly often, and tries to be as nice as possible when he does. These are all pretty flattering doppelgangers, so I doubt the mistakes are ever taken maliciously. I definitely see the resemblance between all of these stars, but Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley are the most uncanny.
It’s about time that these two use this resemblance to their advantage. I could totally see them playing sisters in a Joe Wright period drama Knightley is synonymous with, or even a cerebral surrealist indie film Natalie Portman is often drawn to. They are both wonderful actresses, but with such similar looks, it wouldn’t take a lot of acting to convince audiences that these two could be related. Portman has a number of upcoming projects coming down the pike, but not trying to make something happen with Knightley soon feels like a missed opportunity.
It may be a while before seeing Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley on screen together, even if it is a possibility. In the meantime, fans can check out Portman in May December, which is currently streaming for Netflix subscribers. You can also see Keira Knightly in her latest film, The Boston Strangler, which is also now streaming with a Hulu subscription.
