Natalie Portman, known for her role as Padmé Amidala in the renowned Star Wars franchise and her Academy Award-winning performance in “Black Swan,” considers her contribution to the popular children’s series “Bluey” as “the most important one.”
How does an American actress fit into an Australian cartoon?
“I was a narrator of a nature documentary they were watching,” Portman explained regarding her role in the “Whale Watching” episode from Season 3. Her credit is listed as “Whale Doco Narrator.”
In this episode, siblings Bluey and Bingo want to play, but Mum and Dad are too exhausted. Mum lounges on the couch with some chips, while Dad lies facedown on the rug. The kids climb on Dad’s back as Captain Bluey takes passenger Bingo on “the best tour ever.”
Eventually, the children put on a whale documentary show, and Portman’s soothing voice narrates, “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 documentary with her kids, suddenly feels guilty and dives into pretend play with them.
“It’s a very important show for my family,” Portman told Hoda Kotb during an appearance on TODAY promoting her new television series, Apple TV’s “Lady in the Lake.” Portman has two children with her ex-husband Benjamin Millepied: son Aleph, 12, and daughter Amalia, 7.
“I was really, really honored to get to be part of it,” she said about the cartoon.
Hoda Kotb could relate, saying “‘Bluey’ is such a hit in our house, too,” referring to her two daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5. “What is it about it?”
“It’s so wonderful,” Portman responded. “It’s just … I don’t know. It’s just pure joy.”
“Which is something that we need,” Hoda added.
“Something we need,” Portman agreed.