Natalie Portman portrayed Padmé Amidala in the legendary Star Wars franchise. She won an Academy Award for her starring role in “Black Swan.” But the accomplished actor cites her credit from the wildly popular children’s series “Bluey” as “the most important one.”
Wondering how on earth an American actress fits into an Australian cartoon?
“I was a narrator of a nature documentary that they were watching,” Portman explains of her role in the “Whale Watching” episode from Season 3. Her role is listed simply as “Whale Doco Narrator.”
In the episode, siblings Bluey and Bingo want to play, but Mum and Dad are way too exhausted. Mum lounges on the couch with some chips while Dad lays facedown on the rug. The kids climb aboard Dad’s back so that Captain Bluey can take passenger Bingo on “the best tour ever.”
Eventually, the kids put a whale documentary show on the television and we hear Portman’s soothing voice say, “Whales travel extremely long distances into warm waters to have their babies. They stay with them all the way back to the colder waters. There’s nothing a whale mom wouldn’t do for her children.”
Mum, who has been watching the show with her kids, suddenly feels guilty and literally dives into pretend play with her kids.
“It’s a very important show for my family,” Portman explained to Hoda Kotb when she stopped by TODAY to promote her her first major television series: Apple TV’s “Lady in the Lake.” Portman has two kids with ex-husband Benjamin Millepied: son Aleph Millepied-Portman, 12, and daughter Amalia, 7.
“I was really, really honored to get to be part of it,” she said of the cartoon.
Hoda can relate.
“‘Bluey’ is such a hit in our house, too,” said Hoda, who is raising two daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5. “What is it about it?”
“It’s so wonderful,” Portman gushed. “It’s just … I don’t know. It’s just pure joy.”
“Which is something that we need,” Hoda said.
“Something we need,” Portman echoed.
