Andrew Robinson
Leon: The Professional hit theaters in 1994. Following a professional assassin, Leon, as he goes about his daily life, the great Natalie Portman makes her film debut as Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl that soon becomes Leon’s protegee.
*Spoilers will be present moving forward.
Her opening scene foreshadows just how formidable Portman will become as an actress as she ages; it is quietly one of the great character openings in cinema.
The grace with which Portman fills our screens – in her debut film, nonetheless – is something that actors twice her age have trouble doing.
Many have compared Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown to a young Portman. Both young actresses command the screen like pros and make the viewer forget that they’re watching 6th graders.
As the film goes on, Mathilda and Leon get closer. Mathilda wishes to do what he does; to become a hitman. In many cases, this storyline wouldn’t work. A 12-year-old girl learning to become a hitman from one of the best in the world? Preposterous.
Portman, though, makes it seem doable. Like it could happen in real life. Her facial expressions, the way she speaks her lines, and the way she portrays her emotions all lead one to believe that the young Mathilda could become a heartless killer.
There is one issue that many have taken with Leon: The Professional. Does the movie sexualize the then-13-year-old Portman?
Mathilda develops a sort of romantic love for Leon throughout the film, which makes for some uncomfortable scenes. However, I don’t believe Leon ever reciprocates these feelings. I believe he simply feels badly for her after her family is murdered, and wishes to be a sort of father to her. As Leon’s best friend is a plant, he has no idea how to accomplish this. Mathilda has never experienced any sort of familial love, as her parents are abusive and hating. So, I believe that she mistakes her familial love for Leon as romantic love. Because she was forced to grow up much too quickly, Mathilda loses her innocence at a very young age. It’s heartbreaking to see her believe that she desires Leon romantically when she simply loves him as a father.
So I don’t believe that the film sexualizes Mathilda or, by extension, Portman. If they had made Leon into a predator who falls in love with her, then maybe I would have a different opinion. As Leon is supposed to be someone that the viewer sympathizes with, this would be a difficult turn of events to stomach. Instead of doing this, though, he treats her as a daughter. In actuality, her romantic desire for him is a heartbreaking occurrence that shows the depths that emotional, mental, and physical trauma can hit.
Leon: The Professional is Portman’s coming out party. And it occurs in her first ever role, which rarely happens. From the moment Mathilda graced our screens, it became clear that Portman was going to be a force for years to come. With three Best Actress Oscar nominations (one win, for Black Swan), Portman has proven this line of thinking to be correct.
And she should have four Best Actress Oscar nominations. Her performance in Leon: The Professional is legendary even now, 26 years later.
If you can handle some violence, watch Leon: The Professional. Portman and Jean Reno give fantastic performances, the score is brilliant, and the perpetually underrated Gary Oldman gives yet another remarkable performance as a bad guy.
Natalie Portman didn’t wait to show the world what she can do. She was phenomenal from her very first scene.
