He rejects her advances, but the tension is evident in his expression.Īs Reno puts it in the film’s DVD commentary, it’s “the beginning of the perversity.” Reno often asked the director when they would read the part, and Besson would avoid the question. Here, Mathilda makes Léon tell her he likes her dress and whispers to him the importance of a girl’s first time having sex. It isn’t until this turning point that one begins to worry. theatrical version for its racy content (it would be restored a decade later)-it’s easy to believe that Léon acts as a person stuck between childhood and adult male. Up until the moment of the dress scene-which was deleted in the original U.S. RENO AND PORTMAN WEREN’T ALLOWED TO REHEARSE THE FILM’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL SCENE, WHERE MATHILDA PUTS ON A DRESS GIVEN TO HER BY LÉON. It was a point they made sure to detail in their daughter’s contract. In Starting Young, Portman notes that her parents scaled the sexual undertones way back. Portman’s parents were understandably not comfortable with this scene. IN THE ORIGINAL SCRIPT, LÉON ACCIDENTALLY WALKS IN ON MATHILDA WHILE SHE'S IN THE SHOWER. “ was basically just fighting with them so much.” 2. and I was like, ‘This is the greatest thing I’ve ever read! You’re gonna ruin my life!’” she shares in the doc. This is absolutely inappropriate for a child your age. “My parents were like, ‘There is no way you’re doing this movie.
In Starting Young, a documentary about Portman that’s included on the 10th anniversary DVD edition of Léon, the actress admits that after she read the script, she was so moved to tears by the film that she knew she had to have the role. It was an extremely complicated role for an 11-year-old: Not only would she have to deal with a broken home and violence, but she’d also have to deal with the unwanted sexualization of a young girl. NATALIE PORTMAN’S PARENTS WERE COMPLETELY AGAINST HER PLAYING MATHILDA. With its boundary-pushing plot and expert direction, the film is widely (and rightly) regarded as one of Besson’s best works. The two then develop a friendship so close that you might still find yourself fearing it could cross the line of appropriateness (even if you've seen the film 100 times and breathed a sigh of relief at its outcome). The crime thriller that launched Natalie Portman’s career, and put French actor Jean Reno front and center in Hollywood, Léon tells the story of a professional assassin who takes in his pre-teen neighbor after her family is murdered. It's been over two decades since writer/director Luc Besson’s Léon: The Professional hit theaters, and we’re willing to bet that you’ve yet to shake off how the movie made you feel.
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