Leon: The Professional

"Hi, piggy." Mathilda

☆☆☆☆☆ Classic

Leon: The Professional (1994) is a ballet of violence.

Directed by Luc Besson.

Starring Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello among others.

The International version of Leon has an additional 25 minutes that are disturbing, but help explain the relationship between Jean and Natalie's characters. According to Luc, when the film was tested in Los Angeles, audiences reacted negatively to the scenes between Reno and Portman. The additional footage unbalanced the main story. I could see where that would happen if you keep everything. I would have done a tighter edit and kept some of the scenes that helped to explain their intense relationship.

The acting puts this film above the usual action films. Natalie brings out the subtext with her eyes and facial expression. Portman was 12 years old when she auditioned for the role Mathilda. Luc hired Natalie on the spot after seeing her audition tape.

Jean looks and acts a little on the retarded side. Reno has stated that he chose to make Leon slow witted to counter the closeness of his relationship to Natalie. Jean said, he let Portman emotionally control the intimate scenes. An actor always has to protect his scene partner during very emotional or physicals moments. The outcome of Jean's carry work adds a beautiful layer and humanizes his character.

Gary is hypnotically bizarre in a good way. Gary is playing a cop who happens to be a junkie. A drug addict behaves mentally and physically in unorthodox ways. Luc allowed Oldman the freedom to improvise and ad lib many of his dialogue and physical characteristics. Michael Badalucco says, that Gary unexpectedly began to smell his face. Badalucco says his terrified look is genuine. Oldman did his homework on junkies and let it inform his performance and take it in new directions. The scene below showcases Gary's character work during his scene with Michael. Watch how even the actor in the background is taken by Oldman's work.

Film Scene

Trivia - Keith A. Glascoe, who played Benny, later became a Fireman in NYC for Ladder Company 21. Keith bravely died in the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001. Glascoe and his wife where expecting their third child when he died.

Film Trailer

Film Script

Natalie Portman Leon: The Professional Audition

"Is life always this hard, or just when you're a kid?"  Mathilda

☆☆☆☆☆ Winning Audition

Natalie Portman's original audition for the film Leon: The Professional (1994).

Directed by Luc Besson.

Stars Jean Reno, Gary Oldman and Natalie Portman among many others.

I enjoy watching, studying and learning from other actors auditions. In this audition you can already see that Natalie at such a young age had a good grasp of the character Mathilda during the audition. Natalie has very expressive eyes and face. The audition also shows off young Natalie's ability to let forth the subtext of the character. This is amazing considering how young Natalie was. Little Ms. Portman is also showing through her expressive eyes an actor who is constantly thinking. Watch Natalie in her Oscar winning role in Darren Aronofsky's, Black Swan (2010) and you will see how well she has developed her ability to express her characters thoughts through her eyes.

There seems to be about three parts to the audition from the breaks in the tape. Auditioning requires poise, stamina and fearlessness to survive multiple auditions. Sometimes the director knows right off you are what they are looking for. Other times you end up having to come back several times over many days, weeks and even months. Auditions make job interviews seem like an afternoon nap at the park. Enjoy!

Film Scene

Trivia - Natalie was 11 years old at the time of the audition and was turned down by casting director Todd M. Thaler. She re-auditioned and the director, Luc Besson was, so impressed with her emotional range that he offered Natalie the part on the spot. 

Black Swan

"I just want to be perfect." Nina

☆☆☆☆☆ Masterpiece

Black Swan (2010) is a melodramatic horror film with performances that are disturbing and haunting.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky.

Starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel and Barbara Hershey.

Darren Aronofsky does a magnificent artistic directorial creation with Black Swan with an ending that is mystifying. Darrens ending reminds me of Andrei Trakovsky's final scene in Solaris (1972). We go see movies to escape and have fun and learn something about ourselves through a film characters life story. The most important part of a movie is it's ending. A movie can be horrible in the beginning and middle, but if the ending is magnificent, we walk away thinking the movie was good. Film makers know this and that is why good movies end the way they do. Now, that does not mean that every good movie has to have a happy ending to be consider by audience members as great. On the contrary, to an audience, a great ending means that the film has a surprises the viewer. Darren does have a whopper of a surprise ending and it is a great ending that will have people thinking about it for years to come.

The scene below is one of several favorites of mine, because both Natalie and Mila have incredible chemistry in this moment. Natalie is working internally which balances Mila's physicality. Watch how Mila just throws off the line, "was I good" with brilliant comedic timing and irony.

Vincent has some great moments after Natalie kisses him back stage during her performance. His look is real and he looks like he was caught off guard by Natalie's amazing kiss.

Throughout the film I kept thinking Natalie would have an onscreen nervous breakdown. Portman is reviting from beginning to end. Natalie brought out the nuances in her characters inner life even while ballet dancing.

Barbara Hershey is her usual wickedly fun, ironic self. Barbara has such expressive eyes. Hershey brings out this dark, distributing relationship with Natalie.

Film Scene

Trivia - Natalie Portman lost twenty pounds for the role of Nina.

Film Trailer