Natalie Portman on Star Wars and Visiting a Transylvanian Strip Club | Late Night with Conan O’Brien

(Original Air Date: 12/9/03) Natalie Portman discusses "Star Wars" fans and conventions, staying hidden in public, and her time in Transylvania.
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ABOUT LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN
Running from 1993-2009, Late Night with Conan O’Brien is one of the most beloved late night shows in television history. Known for its absurdist humor, hilarious celebrity interviews and featuring the best stand-up comedians and musical acts of the ‘90s and early 2000s. Hosted by Conan O’Brien alongside sidekick Andy Richter and house band Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7, Late Night with Conan O’Brien featured unforgettable segments like “If They Mated”, “In the Year 2000”, “Desk Drive”, and made a breakout star of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.

[@spotter121877]

Natalie has always had such an infectious smile and laughter.

[@Certaintystillexists]

Shut up. She is dressed like a 12 year old going to a friends birthday party.

[@luiscorchado3930]

That smile destroyed the Galaxy XD

[@Mithinco]

She destroyed Conan being a Civil War buff 😂😂

[@tlaf3045]

Natalie Portman is a unicorn. Tremendous actress, brilliant, great sense of humor and absolutely beautiful. I’m not big on Hollywood but she has navigated her fame brilliantly.

[@TonyStark-uu9us]

👏

[@JoshLange3D]

Also: made money off Star Wars 😂

[@larslan1975]

@@JoshLange3Dgood for her!

[@manchesterexplorer8519]

She's stayed true to herself.

[@TicTacTone2]

Not to mention extremely intelligent. She has a degree from Harvard

[@PonkeyPoe]

20 years later and Conan is just as quick with his improv, jokes and wit. The man has aged like fine wine.

[@justindenney-hall5875]

@PonkeyPoe For me he's the second funniest man next to the late great Robin Williams R.I.P. (1951-2014)

[@thecoach1683]

Not really, he's slowed down a bit and there's nothing wrong with that.

[@mattschrader2250]

Fine Irish wine

[@larrycastro5113]

I thought the same, He's quick with funny hilarious responses,

[@1870Coppelia]

And like wine he is bitter but also sweet to his staff and audiences. And if you consume too much you get drunk on his humour but then wake up realising you had a lot more than you should have, and you start talking funny

[@bennettnez4711]

Classic conan. Never taking a sick day and still coming out a cut above all the other late night shlubs.

[@jmanned]

Conan is probably my favorite of all time, but Craig Ferguson was great too

[@N-xi2zh]

1billion cuts above the rest. he is godtier naked nude pre cut uncut dinosaur era ancient BEEF StEAK!!! others are trash.

[@Jjangbunbun]

@@jmannedu a real one!

[@justindenney-hall5875]

Conan's "sad face" priceless😞🤣

[@MrHusang23]

Conan's on fire here and Natalie's a great partner for his comedy.

[@Mtl-zf9om]

One of a kind smile she has. reason I clicked.

[@CosminNeagu]

As a romanian I can confirm Halloween wasn't a thing for us until like 10 years ago. Still isn't a serious holiday, but we have other traditions regarding ghosts in the fall. We share food for the dead relatives and have superstitons on St. Andrew's about supernatural. And if you come here don't bring up Dracula, people roll their eyes, we're better than that.

[@robbybee70]

so it took some time but Natalie started it!

[@madarab37]

What about Walpurgis Nacht? And hey...what about Dracula?

[@CosminNeagu]

@@madarab37 we have other legends, a tad more taim than the germans. It's true, we have a big hungarian and germanic influences and communities who have local traditions. The afterlife/paranormal life of Romania is quite unique but not so rich as USA though. A lot of haunting stories but not so serious.

[@madarab37]

@@CosminNeagu That's cool...I only wondered about Walpurgis Nacht because it was mentioned in Bram Stoker's Dracula. I don't know if Bram ever traveled to Romania or if he just pulled that one out of German lore.

[@CosminNeagu]

@@madarab37 there are various local traditions restricted to confined areas. We have similar holidays.

[@bosarvinski907]

Conan's impression of a nerd gets me every time!

[@trevour]

And take note, kids! He's pantomiming a nerd's calculator, not a smartphone.

[@tominator23]

‘Impression’

[@FrigidFrosty]

Natalie Portman is such a great actress, I've enjoyed watching her in movies through the years. Thank you, bless you and your family and friends

[@LydellAaron]

Like how Conan backed off her hair after she crossed her arms. He's very quick and perceptive.

[@JomerTB]

Natalie seemed a little nervous in the first half because Conan CARRIED that conversation like an absolute madman and maybe because he kept making Natalie laugh with his amazing quick wit. Carry on Conando!

[@Mario_N64]

She seemed anxious about the haircut questions. She even crossed her arms.

[@bradfoster5700]

Could be but she’d done press before and she was on Letterman several years prior and is much younger. But she’s sharp and quick witted.

[@backbay2242]

Maybe because the dude host of course focuses on her looks. Sorry it's creepy. She looks like she looks.

[@noraisanchez4144]

She's such a great actress and yeah Cold Mountain was a great movie, a must see guys and it's a nice love story...man Natalie can sure act and you'll love her performance in it. Sending you much blessings Natalie, Conan and the world as well🌻

[@Cyba_IT]

Has a bunch of heavyweight actors for the time.

[@lindsaygarcia5212]

It is one of my top 10 films! It stars Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Jena Malone, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Giovanni Ribisi, Charlie Hunnam, Donald Sutherland, Renée Zellweger, Jack White, Lucas Black, Emily Deschanel, Taryn Manning, Brendan Gleeson, and a lot of other great actors! Such a phenomenal cast, cinematography, screenplay and score. Just beautiful film making.

[@Adam_Le-Roi_Davis.]

This was excellent, I'm so glad that you uploaded it, thank you.

[@patreekotime4578]

Every time I see her my mind starts playing the Natalie rap she did on SNL. So iconic.

[@smudoshi]

Two of my favorite people. This is an awesome interview :)

[@hammadahmed8690]

Thank you so much for uploading such great content!

[@NHatemN]

Finally in high quality, thanks.

[@adamscottv]

She has the best smile ever.

[@willcall9431]

That girl is so beautiful. Fantastic career she has had. From a small girl facing assassins to the mother of a space hero to a ballerina.

[@axel_r_]

That "space hero" killed a planet of innocent people. 👀 😅

[@Cash42]

I think this Conan guy is going to go places, I could see him do this for a long time

[@thevoid99]

i remember watching this on TV as i love that t-shirt she wears. natalie is so awesome.

[@TurkGallant]

"Bill O'Reilly's here" lmao

[@justindenney-hall5875]

"Transylvanian Strip Club" sounds like a cheap horror comedy just waiting to happen🧛‍♀🤣

[@alexsavutube]

I knew the place. It was a normal strip club like all the strip clubs in the world, they just rebranded "Dracula" to lure in all the overpaid foreigners working on the movie. The production team did all kinds of of ridiculous excesses from renting strippers by the week to buying dozens upon dozens of wood carriages and abandoning them after. One of the auto park bosses used a brand new Land Rover to kill a wild boar which he ate. Foreign employs that had local drivers made them break the law in front of police to see who can pay more bribes on a route. There was no respect or common sense in the spending.

[@justindenney-hall5875]

@@alexsavutube "The more you know!"🌠🎹🎵🎶

[@truthhurts3524]

After first seeing Natalie in Leon The Professional, I knew she was going to be a big time actress.

[@Cyba_IT]

Some people have one or two great performances and are never seen again. I'm glad Natalie has been successful.

[@JG-vq6rd]

I really want to see that movie but it's not available on the streaming service I have.

[@manamal769]

Natalie is soooo gorgeous omg! Love her 😍

[@geomantilla]

That was so mean of Natalie… LOVED IT 😂😂

[@eightysevenk]

She's so beautiful and adorable with an amazing smile

[@signalenergie]

Absolutely.

[@dangerousbeans2907]

She’s eternally adorable.

[@Fa5Squad]

saw the professional back in 1998 and fell in love with this girl, then star wars came out, ughhh

[@DrPrimoAce]

conan's wit in his prime was razor sharp

[@InnerHacking]

Most adorable laughter, and the perfect face for a sci-fi half-human half-robot movie character

[@michaelspurling4376]

This made me laugh because, in the late '70s, I had very long curly hair and owned a ferret. It liked to wrap itself around the back of my neck and hide in my hair. It would randomly poke its head out and freak people out.

[@pepperlewis1]

I work with a romanian that gets violently angry when you bring up vampires.

[@Erickchicas]

Natalie Portman such a beautiful woman.

[@theremakers.]

her smile 😄

[@adnankamen6470]

her smile is soo cute!

[@boydwhite3708]

"So this is how liberty dies...to the sound of thunderous applause." One of the oh' so pertinent lines from Star Wars.

[@jacqueline2334]

She reminds me of the girl she played in Beautiful Girls, which I love!!!!!! This is the second interview though that she mentions being little. She’s 5’2 not 4’5

[@teamshaboobalu2887]

The look on Natalie @ 3:07 lol.

[@alexperaza9475]

Damn, poor Conan. He blows out his voice doing the nerd impression and then immediately gets scorched by Natalie for making fun of Star Wars fans 😂

[@ColorsBright]

I love her laugh and smile... Beautiful

[@Poluxthefifth1]

She keeps Mathilda alive only by smiling-

[@nothingpretty]

just two Harvard grads... chillin', having a conversation.

[@Spumoon]

Don't worry Conan, I'm getting in my time machine now to bring you some Ricola.

[@bats70]

Love Natalie in this interview❤❤❤

[@vintagevhsarchive]

December 19, 2003 Thanks!

[@brianjl7477]

Debbie Gibson - nice. I went to a concert of her's when I was quite young too - mostly my older sister wanted to go, but I got to go too. I still like some of her stuff.

[@TheGreatBlackBird]

collect butterflies? 😂

[@stemikger]

Poor Natalie never went through the awkward stage, always stunningly beautiful. Feel bad for her.

[@BrettOPediaTV]

I think she plays herself in Garden State lol 😂 she’s so funny

[@roberthevern6169]

I love Garden State! Such a great movie from Zach Braff!

[@BrettOPediaTV]

@@roberthevern6169 yes! legit one of the all time greats

[@De_liebste_un_beste_Mensch]

Especially the awkward scene with the Shins song

[@lavarball528]

ur kinda right I think. she's a lot like her character in garden state

[@josefmanga]

Debbie Gibson was also my first concert.

[@Joliie]

In Tivoli Copenhagen on Halloween they dress up the park in a spooky theme (probably darker than what the US is accustomed to), but you can spot the Americans in the park, because they will be the only ones dressed in costumes :D

[@agidotexe7167]

man if i could choose my dream girl... Natalie is so awesome, that laugh and smile is killer.

[@williammitchell4417]

Funny thing about Transylvania... 6-5000!! Jeff Goldbloom and Ed Begley jr... A ha!!!

[@jennysoapdish4502]

such a delight

[@taintedlove202]

She still giggles like she did when she was 12…and I love it !

[@SwordAndFern-mw3ke]

The ultimate celeb crush

[@ucenic1]

I spent 3 months in Romania the summer of 2002. When i was sitting in the airport in Bucharest to fly back to the U.S., I saw a couple dutiful people walking by guiding Donald Sutherland past me. That was a trip. Later when Cold Mountain came out i put 2 and 2 together.

[@rixxy9204]

No more questions!

[@kenbrownfield6584]

I miss Conan ...one of the best

[@kenbrownfield6584]

Her hair does suck

[@ricardo_miguel13]

@@kenbrownfield6584 beautiful hair

[@PhilippeCarphin]

He's still there, his podcast is really good.

[@nlb1138]

I remember watching this live

[@user-qq3oh8qw9e]

good video

[@Jjangbunbun]

Love them both

[@williampalmer8052]

I haven't heard "Frodo Lives" since about 1972.

[@user-wi8nc9wo3x]

2:40 Comicon to her is like the bucket of change I have in my bedroom.

[@ryantucker3021]

Love Her performance in Thor 2011 And Thor 4 Love and Thunder And Star Wars The Phantom Menace And Star Wars Attack of The Clones And Star Wars Revenge of The Sith And Your Highness

[@alexandertucker6140]

She should go on his podcast now!

[@henokhsatrio8804]

Padme!❤

[@mkygod]

Debbie Gibson is also a native Long Islander and became famous at a very young age.

[@GannaLavrova]

Conan is a genious

[@tennwilcox8663]

No you are😊

[@darkdaze3860]

She is so adorable!!

[@nzstjohnthebaptist]

Natalie razzed the hell out of Letterman age 13, and here she is still doing it! This time to Conan.

[@adameves5970]

razzed? not a word, dude. try again

[@freemagicfun]

Yeah, she was always a bit of a smart ass (in a good way). Conan is great and rolls with it.

[@hellion7514]

@@adameves5970Definitely a word. Are you one of those “boomers” all the youngsters make fun of?

[@KaninTuzi]

Razzing is a word that's been around a long time

[@evanjohnrobasci7356]

@@adameves5970Hmm, imagine being in a room full of people, you say this, and now you’re an ass on top of being wrong. Embarrassing.

[@francine4651]

My first time seeing her in the movie professional great movie

[@morallycorruptmaleficentti1194]

Our Queen!!!

[@Pendragon981]

She's just perfect girlfriend material. The cute genuine witty funny girl next door that can hang out with the guys, just my type.

[@Certaintystillexists]

If your a lesbian

[@TheYurma]

Wonderful Natalie ❤❤❤

[@marchansen5798]

Conan was hilarious in this interview. I love Natalie Portman, too.

[@patfanrj]

Dude, she sounds like Margaret from Regular Show here. Especially when she giggles or when she says, "Booooo, you suck!"

[@christophershane2408]

💗 Natalie

[@Poluxthefifth1]

Natalie Portman - She´s a dream: Fun, Smart, Serious, Committed, Never aging, Who wouldn´t want to marry her?

[@JG-vq6rd]

Her ex is a fool.

[@jpa23245]

Best late night host

[@stephenpardysr2390]

i like Natalie, and i wish her the very best of everything!

[@Daily_Motivations1]

Thanks for your continuous love and support. ❤️ For how long have you been a fan of mine?

[@gwailotus9154]

she is 22 here. she has a unique blend of cuteness, innocence, confidence, intelligence, maturity, poise, class, charisma, humility, a great sense of humor, is down to earth, AND gorgeous.

[@Diiibrn]

No more donkeys around, but happy Halloween, from Transylvania! 👹

[@Mario_N64]

It's funny how she seemed pretty guarded at first, but then her body language really relaxes.

[@AnwayPramanik]

Anakin's probably in the audience

[@randomgetrankehalter4909]

god, i love her

[@jasondavis6009]

i love her

[@vibrationoftheone]

lol debbie gibson good times in the 80s

[@Greg87601]

Conan O'Brien was great talk show.

[@Daily_Motivations1]

Thanks for your continuous love and support. ❤️ For how long have you been a fan of mine?

[@johnnykeener3727]

Cool shirt

[@gmpomeroy]

There is SO MUCH MORE to Transylvania, yet, most unfortunately, Americans get transfixed by the Dracula thing. Bram Stoker never even visited the area! People somehow take a bit of kitsch Hollywood imagery and associate it with a place - even though the connection is quite recent and weak.

[@kyodj5]

Don't we all associate ideas to places we've never been to? Hopefully an open mind would keep oneself understanding that this is a glimpse of fiction about a real place, but it's understandable how it's viewed. Can you guess how many times, since I'm from Texas USA, I've been asked if I have a cowboy hat and eat steak?

[@solomonarbc]

Funny thing is, aside from the castle(s) (birthplace) and the time Vlad the Impaler spent under Hungarian "protection" there is very little Transylvanian about him - 100% South Romanian looks (appearance), Orthodox and Voivode/Prince (Ruler) of Wallachia (Southern Romania) and cousin of Stephen the Great (of Moldova), as well as grandson of Mircea the Elder of Wallachia. So in Romania, he is perceived as way more influential in relation to the Southern Romanian part of history and heritage. His darker "legacy" is also derived from the struggle against Ottoman Turks, as traditional enemies of Wallachia, in that time period (Moldova was also fighting off Hungarians, Poles and Tatars).

[@baron7755]

My parents never took me to any concerts :(

[@maydavalle]

🧢 I Am Natalie Portman🖤 She has such a cute laugh❤️ Conan’s nerd 🤓 face 😊😆😭 The sullen face too 🥺😌

[@PurushaDesa]

20 years and her face has not changed that much at all.

[@fuzonzord9301]

Wait it's not an interview from the 90s?

[@PurushaDesa]

@@fuzonzord9301 It is. Just saying she’s aging beautifully.

[@landonmiles97]

Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of Natalie Portman’s acting. But as a person, she seems really cool to hang out with.

[@taoist32]

How do you know she’s not acting on this “interview”? Most of these interviews are scripted.

[@bltvd]

She seemed really cool up to Black Swan and now not so much.

[@patreekotime4578]

​​​@@taoist32They arn't scripted. They have a list of topics the producer went through with her in advance. Some comedians have sets they work through in the interview, but again it isnt scripted, the host in that case has a list of prompts they have to work into conversation and make it feel natural. But none of that is the same as following a script.

[@EruajNoj]

i hope to god there’s a knew V for Vendetta starring Portman!

[@themightyagathor]

03:03 Clerks 2 settled this dispute

[@56kwith200ping]

Natalie Portman was my generation Cindy Crawford. Keira Knightley... are you guys cool? Both 9/10 beautiful.

[@shankarbalakrishnan2360]

Brilliant natalie❤❤