Actress Natalie Portman was so desperate to maintain a normal childhood, she created her stage name when she became famous. When she was on set or in the press, she was Natalie Portman, but back home she was Natalie Hershlag. Kind of like a real life Hannah Montana minus the wig.
Portman says, "It was like having an alter ego. I was able to keep my public persona controlled and let the messiness be in private. I could be a human being. I don't want to have a perfect (life), but I know my actions may affect or influence people, and there is a little bit of responsibility in that."
Didn't the people back home realize Portman and Hershlag were identical? The whole alter ego thing could only have worked for so long, no? In case you were wondering, Portman/Hershlag found fame at 14-years old.
