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Portman Doesn’t Like Playing Jewish Characters

But she’d be so good at it!

by
Marc Tracy
January 07, 2010
Portman in New York last November.(Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for IFP)
Portman in New York last November.(Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for IFP)

Natalie Portman is Jewish: in fact, she was born Natalie Hershlag in Jerusalem. She also just played a Jewish woman in one section of the film New York, I Love You. Yet, apparently, she is not keen on future Jewish roles. “I’ve always tried to stay away from playing Jews,” she reportedly told British Elle. “I get like 20 Holocaust scripts a month, but I hate the genre.”

We have two things to say to Portman. First, to quote actor Andy Garcia: “Typecast? I certainly hope so. I spent seven years without working.”

Second, however many Holocaust scripts you get each month, we get at least as many Holocaust books. We feel you.

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.