Portman urges Harvard grads to use their inexperience to their advantage, saying that taking risks may lead to greatest personal and professional achievements.
- May 28, 2015
AceShowbiz - Natalie Portman encouraged new Harvard graduates to take chance during the college's Class Day ceremony on Wednesday, May 27. Believing taking risks may lead to professional achievements, the Oscar-winning actress advised the grads to use their inexperience to their own advantage.
During the speech, Portman told the crowd that she had never thought that she would win an Oscar for Best Actress in "Black Swan" because at the time she filmed the movie, she didn't know her own limitations. She admitted that she might not have taken the role if she had known that she was unprepared to dance the movie's ballet move.
"People told me 'Black Swan' was an artistic risk, but it didn't feel like courage or daring to do it. I was so oblivious to my own limitations," Portman told the crowd. "The movie went on to bomb. But today, it is still the film [people] approach me about the most. Initially, it was a disaster, but the meaning had to be from the experience of making."
"The point is, if I had known my own limitations, I never would have taken the risk," she added. "And the risk led to one of my greatest personal and professional achievements."
Portman also cited her first experience in writing, directing and acting in "A Tale of Love and Darkness" that was recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. "Make use of the fact that you don't doubt yourself too much right now because, as we get older, we get more realistic," she advised the graduating senior. "Accept your lack of knowledge and use it as your asset."
Portman later revealed her dark moment when she was studying at Harvard. She admitted that she faced many challenges during her time at the college as most people seemingly speculated that she got into Harvard only because of her popularity.
"When I got to Harvard just after the release of 'Star Wars: Episode 1', I feared people would assume I had gotten in just for being famous, and not worthy of the intellectual rigor here," she said. However, she proved them wrong as she finally graduated with a degree in psychology in 2003.
