Becoming ... Natalie Portman

See how the freshly shorn Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith actress went from bookish girl to elegant fashion muse. By Lucy Maher and Caryn Midler

  • HERE'S THE RUB  photo | George Lucas, Natalie Portman

Credit: PASCAL GUYOT/AFP/Newscom

Updated: Friday May 20, 2005 | 06:00 AM EDT

HERE'S THE RUB

Natalie Portman, who has appeared in 20 films in her 11-year career, suffers for her art – but not too much. "I can't stop rubbing my head," she has said of her newly shaved pate – which even her Star Wars director, George Lucas, couldn't resist (in Cannes in May). "It's so soft, I might keep it for a while." Portman, 23, got the new do for her next role as a suspected terrorist in the futuristic drama V for Vendetta.