Natalie Portman's Animated Breakthrough Earns Golden Globe Nod
The Oscar winner's voice work in sci-fi animation Arco has critics calling it 2025's best animated feature, with major awards buzz building for her robotic character performance.
Natalie Portman broke her longstanding animation boycott in spectacular fashion this year, delivering not one but two voice performances. While her turn as Mary Muggle-Wump in Roald Dahl's The Twits earned mixed reviews despite a cast including Margo Martindale and Alan Tudyk, her second animated venture proved far more successful.
Award-Winning Performance
Arco tells the story of a time-traveling boy from the distant future who gets stranded in 2075. While trying to return home, he befriends a girl named Iris and attracts unwanted attention from conspiracy theorists. Critics have hailed it as 2025's finest animated achievement, earning multiple awards and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Animated. Oscar buzz continues building around the film.
Portman, who also produced the project, couldn't contain her enthusiasm when discussing the role with Gold Derby. She voices Mikki, a nanny droid caring for Iris while her parents are absent. The robotic character brought back memories of another sci-fi franchise that launched her career decades ago.
Droid Dreams Realized
"It was a dream come true," Portman explained. "Finally, I got to be the droid instead of just acting opposite the droid! It makes sense that if you have a nanny bot, you would want it to embody the best of the mother and father."
The character Mikki represents a fusion of Iris' parents. To achieve this dual parental presence, Portman's voice was mixed with Mark Ruffalo's, though Chris Hemsworth actually plays Iris' father in the film. Maybe Portman just wanted to give her fellow Avengers co-star some work. The original French version features Alma Jodorowsky, granddaughter of visionary filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, as the mother's voice.
From Padmé to Producer
Portman's reference to acting "opposite the droid" clearly points to her Star Wars prequel trilogy role as Senator Padmé Amidala. She famously died during childbirth after her romance with Anakin Skywalker, enduring Hayden Christensen's wooden performance. Despite the prequels' rocky reception, the actress has teased potential returns to that galaxy far, far away.
Whether or not she revisits Star Wars, Portman has proven her sci-fi credentials through Arco, Alex Garland's Annihilation, and her Marvel work. Now that she's conquered animation too, her career trajectory looks unstoppable.