10 Crazy Actor Truths We Just Learned
2. Natalie Portman Thinks Léon Is "Cringey"
Luc Besson's Léon is a terrifically crafted action-thriller that introduced audiences to a young Natalie Portman, who so memorably portrayed 12-year-old assassin trainee Mathilda.
Ever since the film's release, Mathilda's relationship with her adult charge Léon (Jean Reno) has been controversial, some characterising it as "creepy," no matter that Léon is never shown to have any sexual interest in Mathilda.
All the same, given that writer-director Besson himself began dating a 15-year-old girl, Maïwenn Le Besco, when he was 31 years of age, and Le Besco has since claimed the plot of the movie was inspired by their relationship, it's easy to appreciate why it makes some uneasy.
That's not to ignore the accusations of rape and sexual misconduct which have been levelled against Besson as of late.
While discussing the film in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Portman admitted she finds aspects of Léon "cringey" today:
"It's a movie that's still beloved, and people come up to me about it more than almost anything I've ever made, and it gave me my career, but it is definitely, when you watch it now, it definitely has some cringey, to say the least, aspects to it. So, yes, it's complicated for me."