Rangarira ndima iri pasi apa uye ipapo pindura mubvunzo gare gare mumutauro mumwe chetewo sechikamu:  Passage: Pakati pemakore ekuma1990, Portman aive nemabasa akati wandei emafirimu, kusanganisira Heat, Munhu wese anoti ndinokuda, uye Mars Attacks!. Kuita kwake mufirimu diki renyeredzi Vakadzi Vakanaka vakawana rumbidzo yakakosha. Akanga ari wokutanga kusarudza kutamba Juliet muna William Shakespeare Romeo + Juliet, asi vagadziri vakafunga zera rake rakanga risina kukodzera. Muna 1997, Portman akatamba chinzvimbo chaAnne Frank muBroadway kuchinjika kweThe Diary of Anne Frank. Yakanga iri pashure pe1996 yeVasikana Vakanaka kuti Portman akakura asingadi kubvuma mabasa umo hunhu hwake hwaive hwechidiki hwepabonde. Muhurukuro neThe Guardian, munyori Simon Hattenstone akabvunza Portman kana aiziva kuti nekuda kwavo aive "chiroto chepedophile", icho Portman akapindura kuti "chakarayira sarudzo dzangu zhinji mushure me 'nekuti zvakandityisa... zvakaita kuti ndide kuita zvinhu zvepabonde, kunyanya pandakanga ndiri mudiki".Zvakare muna 1997, Portman akasarudzwa saPadmé Amidala muStar Wars prequel trilogy. Firimu rokutanga, The Phantom Menace, rakatanga kupfura muna June 1997 uye rakabudiswa muna May 1999. Mushure mekugadzirwa kweThe Phantom Menace, pakutanga akaramba basa rekutungamira mufirimu Anywhere asi Pano mushure mekudzidza kuti zvaizosanganisira chiitiko chebonde, asi director Wayne Wang nemutambi Susan Sarandon (aitamba amai vaPortman mufirimu) vakada kunyorwazve kwe script. Portman akaratidzwa rondedzero itsva, uye akasarudza kubvuma basa racho. Iyi firimu yakavhurwa mukupera kwa1999, uye akagamuchira kusarudzwa kweGolden Globe yeBest Supporting Actress nebasa rake saAnn August. Mutsoropodzi Mary Elizabeth Williams weSalon akadana Portman "anoshamisa" uye akati "[u] unlike chero nhamba yevatambi vezera rake, iye haana kunyanyisa kana kushinga. " Akabva asaina kuti atambe basa guru raamai vari kuyaruka muWhere the Heart Is, iyo yakavhurwa muna Kubvumbi 2000.  Mubvunzo: Phantom menace yakavhurwa rini pamabhokisi emahofisi?
kupera kwa1999