Twenty years ago, Natalie Portman<\/strong> took her last breath in George Lucas<\/strong>‘ far, far away galaxy as part of the grand climax of 2005’s prequel trilogy-capping Star Wars: Episode III \u2014 Revenge of the Sith. Flash-forward two decades and the Oscar-winning actress has gone from hanging around a bunch of droids to voicing a droid in Arco, the animated Oscar contender from French illustrator and filmmaker, Ugo Bienvenu<\/strong>. Portman is a producer on the film and voices two characters in the English-language version that’s opening in theaters on Nov. 14.<\/p>\n Arco follows the titular 30th century time-traveler, who crash-lands in the year 2075 and has to find a way back… to the future. He’s aided in his quest by his new 21st century friend, Iris, a young girl who is being raised by a nanny ‘bot named Mikky while her parents are busy with their jobs. Mikky’s voice is actually a blend of Portman and Mark Ruffalo<\/strong>, who portray Iris’s absent mother and father, respectively.<\/p>\n More from Gold Derby<\/strong><\/p>\n “It was a dream come true,” Portman jokes to Gold Derby in our latest Awards Magnet podcast. “Finally, I got to be the droid instead of just acting opposite the droid!” Portman credits Bienvenu with that idea, which echoes the casting for the French-language version. “It makes sense that if you have a nanny bot, you would want it to embody the best of the mother and father,” the actress notes.<\/p>\n But finally getting to do her own take on C-3PO wasn’t Portman’s only attraction to Arco. The actress remembers seeing an early 40-minute cut of the film that she describes as “extraordinary,” and that screening convinced her to come aboard as a producer. And with the 15th anniversary of her Oscar-winning star turn in Darren Aronofsky<\/strong>‘s Black Swan approaching, Portman reflects on her emotional acceptance speech when she paid tribute to the artisans that aren’t always recognized during the awards cycle.<\/p>\n