Natalie Portman Refuses To Go Without Fictional Sex

Though Natalie Portman earned an Oscar nomination for refusing to part with her pasties as a stripper in the film Closer, she’s been on a genuinely NSFW tear as of late. First, she stunt doubled for a lithe greyhound and went nude for the Wes Anderson short Hotel Chevalier (pictured), then she dated the troubadour Devendra Banhart, whose liner notes revealed a radical new theory that clothes simply get in the way of a man’s natural, patchouli-infused musk. Now, Doubt director John Patrick Shanley reveals that Portman wanted the role in his film that eventually went to Amy Adams, but there was one sexless impediment:

Some roles just don’t suit Natalie Portman. At the junket for the film version of his “Doubt,” playwright John Patrick Shanley was asked how Amy Adams won the role of an emotionally conflicted nun. “I’m trying to think of what the etiquette is on this,” Shanley chuckled, blushing a bit. Urged on by a blogger for gossipsauce.com, he continued, “Well, we asked Natalie Portman, and Natalie was very interested but kept saying she had a problem. And we finally nailed down as to what the problem was. She basically said she didn’t understand celibacy.”

Sounds like someone’s taking tarty cues from her former costar, the sexually generous Scarlett Johansson! Still, we hardly think Portman’s ideals were at odds with the role — has she never heard of the “sexy nun” concept before? Nat, check in with Megan Fox next time and call John Patrick Shanley in the morning.

• ALIEN CONCEPT [NY Post]