Natalie Portman

I don't admire too many celebrities...in fact, I find them to be obnoxious and pretentious. But for some reason, I think of Natalie Portman quite differently. She's a beautiful girl -- her features are striking (even with a shaved head). Plus, she's got a good head on her shoulders. She picks quality roles to play (with perhaps the exception of Star Wars) -- and takes on each of the characters very convincingly. I recently found out that the Israeli-American actress speaks Hebrew fluently, and that was a pleasant surprise.

She's very well-educated (a Harvard grad) and doesn't oversaturate herself in the movie industry -- or rather, what I mean to say is that she keeps her profile to a minimum and isn't keen on self-exploitation like the other young stars of her generation (whose behavior I detest!) I recently heard her speak on MTVU about terrorism, which was an interesting topic and not one that a lot of young actors can speak articulately about. That was indeed impressive!

I do secretly (or not so secretly) envy those few who have both brains and beauty...and Natalie Portman is one of those exceptional cases -- which is why she is probably so successful...

I hate gushing so much about a person and putting them on a pedestal, but I'll do it just this once! ;)