Hollywood celebrities frequently discuss the hardships they have experienced while working on particular films. The American actress, Natalie Portman, who was born in Israel, also had to deal with a similar circumstance.

The 41-year-old actress had to have her head shaved for a crucial scene in the high-budget political action movie, V For Vendetta for her role as mousy TV researcher-turned-freedom fighter, Evey.

Natalie Portman, an American actress of Israeli descent, is a prominent figure in the entertainment industry. Her performance as Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) earned her widespread recognition.

In a crucial scene in James McTeigue’s V for Vendetta, her character Evey, who is instructed to live fearlessly in a dystopian future, has her head shaved. It’s incredible that the scene was filmed in just one take.

Natalie Portman

This was something Portman could only do once, she said in a 2006 interview with USA Today.

Natalie Portman In V For Vendetta’s Head Shaving Scene

In real life, changing your hair drastically is a big deal. Just picture performing that in front of a camera. When you’re not sporting a wig, there is no room for error. Naturally, if you’re a true professional like Natalie Portman, you’ll take everything in stride and use your gut instincts to get the shot. A key scene in the movie adaptation of V for Vendetta featured her character ‘Evey’ getting her head shaved.

Evey is a character who is taught to live fearlessly in a dystopian future. Amazingly, only one take was required to complete the scene.

In an interview with USA Today, Portman explained why she couldn’t repeat this action. “It was a one-shot deal, and that was the most stressful thing about the experience.” Really? The most stressful? 

Natalie Portman

James McTeigue, the film’s director, also discussed the scene with the outlet, saying:
“The first time I saw her about the role, I had her put her hair behind her head because I wanted to see what she looked like bald. That was the only conversation we had about it. She knew the day was coming. I put three cameras on her, made sure the clippers weren’t stuck, and then we shaved her head. She loved it and kept rubbing her head.”
It’s safe to say that this scene had an impact on viewers, and it was fortunate that they chose an actress who was willing to go all out for such a crucial moment.

Evolution of ‘Evey’ in a Single Scene

The head-shaving scene represents Evey’s evolution, removing her vanity and her ties to her old life while advancing her into her new one. It’s a crucial time for the story and even for Natalie Portman; the fact that it was shot in a way that couldn’t be undone.

Although Portman repeated that it was really about the scene and the fear was about the one take, she did admit in an interview with Chuck the Movie Guy that “Obviously hair is such a vanity thing for girls.” She even claimed that they had practiced the scene several times and that even crew members volunteered to have their heads shaved in order to test it out.

Natalie Portman in V for Vendetta

This scene from the movie made the Thor: Love and Thunder actress famous to millions of people. The 2006 film, V for Vendetta is definitely unusual, brave, and extraordinarily moving to watch.

The film was released on 17 March 2006 in the USA.

Source- The USA Today