The 11 best Natalie Portman movies, ranked

Out of every Marvel movie she starred in as Thor's on-and-off flame Jane Foster, "Thor: Love and Thunder" is the one where Portman had the most to work with.

In hopes of overcoming her cancer, Jane becomes Mighty Thor, giving Portman the opportunity to show off her tough personal and deliver some great comedic bits opposite Chris Hemsworth.

"Lucy in the Sky" may be one of Portman's lesser-known movies, but she delivers a riveting performance as astronaut Lucy Cola.

After completing her first space mission and returning to Earth, Lucy begins to unravel personally and professionally as her desire to head back to space takes her over the edge. She becomes extremely jealous when she's passed over for the next mission, and she finds out the person who recommended she stay grounded is the guy she's sleeping with (played by Jon Hamm).

The movie has a wild conclusion that's based on the real-life headline-grabbing incident from the early 2000s in which astronaut Lisa Nowak packed her car with various weapons and drove 900 hours non-stop from Houston to Orlando to confront the person who took her spot.

Portman, who was only in her late teens at the time, played Queen Padmé Amidala in the first of the "Star Wars" prequels, giving the character a strong sense of self and drive.

Unfortunately, Padmé loses that aspect of herself in the following movies, to make room for the fatal relationship she has with Anakin Skywalker.

Portman plays Sam, the love interest in Zach Braff's feature directing debut, "Garden State." Unfortunately, the role is often considered one of the worst offenders of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope. Still, even despite the label, Portman's performance is one of the most tender and moving of her entire career.

Though she's only in a few scenes in this Michael Mann classic, Portman makes the most of her limited screen time, holding her own opposite Al Pacino as the stepdaughter of his work-obsessed police detective character.

In this team-up with director Todd Haynes and his consistent collaborator Julianne Moore, Portman delivers an impressive performance as an actor shadowing a notorious woman (Moore) for her next movie.

Portman plays the part with a mix of comedy, manipulation, and drama, making it an instant highlight in her filmography.

In this American remake of the 2004 Danish movie, Portman is fantastic as Grace Cahill, a woman grieving the loss of her husband, Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire), a presumed-dead prisoner of war.

She finds solace in Sam's brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) until he unexpectedly returns home from war, leading to chaos as he struggles to readjust, showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Portman's portrayal of a wife and mother trying to hold it all together brilliantly shows how war affects even those who never see combat.

Portman made her feature-film debut in "Léon: The Professional," and it was obvious even then that she was a star in the making. She showcases talent far beyond her years as she plays a young girl who befriends an assassin (Jean Reno).

In this movie adaptation of the hit play, director Mike Nichols takes Portman's talents and guides her into a performance that would catapult her into becoming one of her generation's great actors.

Portman, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance, plays the mysterious Jane Jones (though she also uses the name Alice Ayres, after reading it on a tombstone), who mixes sex and manipulation to get whatever she wants from any man who crosses her path.

Portman also received an Oscar nomination for "Jackie." Here, she gives a stirring performance as first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the aftermath of her husband John F. Kennedy's assassination.

Portman won the best actress Oscar for her fantastic performance as a ballerina committed to landing the lead in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" by any means necessary.

In "Black Swan," directed by Darren Aronofsky, Portman masterfully plays good and bad equally well, delivering an intoxicating portrayal of a character pushing herself to the edge of madness to get what she wants.