Natalie Portman through the years

Actress Natalie Portman at the Pantages Theater. Portman stars in director Darren Aronofsky‘s latest film, “Black Swan.”  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Actresses Natalie Portman, left, and Winona Ryder attend IFP’s 20th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards.   (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for IFP)

Actress Natalie Portman arrives to attend the 20th anniversary Gotham Independent Film Awards.   (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

Actress Natalie Portman attends IFP’s 20th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards.   (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for IFP)

Actress Natalie Portman attends the ‘Black Swan Arrivals’ at Style Star Lounge during the 67th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy.   (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Actress Natalie Portman offers a heartfelt tribute to Mike Nichols, her director in the film “Closer” and the play “The Seagull.”  (Kevin Winter / Getty Images for AFI)

HOT BUN: Natalie Portman‘s Oscars look featured twists.  (Valerie Macon / AFP / Getty Images)

Natalie Portman attends the Rodarte fall 2010 Fashion Show.  (Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images)

Natalie Portman  (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for IFP)

Natalie Portman is one of an ensemble of actors in the movie “New York I Love You,” a collection of short vignettes.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Portman makes a statement at the screening for her new film, “Love and Other Impossible Pursuits.”

Circuit blog: Updates from Toronto  (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

By Susan King, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Off with their heads! The British had their knickers in a twist when it was announced that two Americans would be playing the legendary historical characters Mary and Anne Boleyn in “The Other Boleyn Girl.” The pitch-perfect results delivered by Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman helped ease any tensions, however. After all, British accents are de rigueur for today’s American actors. Here’s a look at several American actors attempting the King’s English:

Scarl-Jo and Nat-Po

Johansson and Portman were corsetted naturals as Mary and Anne Boleyn, thanks to practice: Natalie had success with a British accent as Padme in the last three “Star Wars” movies. And Scarlett had gone British previously in “The Prestige.”

Rating: 3½ scones apiece (on a scale of 1 to 4)   (Alex Bailey / Associated Press)

Natalie Portman arrives for the premiere of “Che.”   (Evan Agostini / Associated Press)

Jury of her peers

Natalie Portman is serving as a Cannes juror this year. That means she has to see all the films in competition and look good in couture at the major premieres. So she’s to be excused for letting her makeup artist go a little heavy with the blush and lipstick for the “Indiana Jones” carpet. The navy blue Chanel couture gown was dramatic enough without the war paint.  (Francois Mori / Associated Press)

Education

Portman was a straight-A student who event-skipped the premiere of “Star Wars: Episode I” in 1999 so she could study for her high school finals. She graduated from Harvard University with a degree in psychology in 2003 — she was Alan Dershowitz’s research assistant — and did postgraduate studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 2004. Two years ago, she was a guest lecturer at a Columbia University course in terrorism and counterterrorism. She’s bilingual in Hebrew and English and has studied French, Japanese, German and Arabic.

Johansson attended high school.

Winner: A no-brainer here — Portman  (Shaun Curry / Associated Press)

Natalie Portman arrives at the Dolce and Gabbana party.   (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)

Natalie Portman attends the premiere of “Birdwatchers - La Terra Degli Uomini Rossi.”   (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)

Juror Natalie Portman during the Palme d’Or Closing Ceremony.   (Sean Gallup / Getty Images)

Natalie Portman and Paolo Coelho dance onstage at amfAR’s Cinema Against AIDS 2008 benefit.   (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)

Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Natalie Portman and Rachid Bouchareb arrive at the “Blindness” premiere.  (Gareth Cattermole /Getty Images)

Causes

Portman:

A vegetarian since she was a child, Portman has been a lifelong advocate for animal rights and won’t eat animal products or wear fur, feathers or leather. “All of my shoes are from Target and Stella McCartney,” she has said. Last year, she and Jack Hanna went to Rwanda to film a documentary, “Gorillas on the Brink,” and she also found time to launch her own vegan footwear.

Johansson:

She’s a global ambassador for the aid and development confederation Oxfam and a supporter of Barack Obama. She has campaigned for the Democratic presidential hopeful and recently appeared in the music video “Yes We Can,” which was inspired by Obama’s speech after the New Hampshire primary.

Winner: A tie, but anyone who loves animals has a slight edge.  (John MacDougall / AFP / Getty Images)

Men

Portman:

She’s been linked with cuties Gael Garcia Bernal and Jake Gyllenhaal, as well as Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine and singer-actor Lukas Haas, and reportedly has dated Nat Rothschild. She was also seen at last year’s U.S. Open with former male model Nathan Bogle.

Johansson:

She’s been linked with numerous men, including Derek Jeter, Benicio Del Toro, Jared Leto, Justin Timberlake and Josh Hartnett. She is currently dating “Definitely Maybe” star Ryan Reynolds but has denied rumors that they are engaged. She has stated that she doesn’t believe in monogamy but is not promiscuous. She even gets tested for HIV twice a year and has said “it’s part of being a decent human being.”

Winner: A tie — both have dated their share of winners and losers.  (Hermann J. Knippertz / Associated Press)

Just the Facts

Natalie Portman

Birth name: Natalie Hershlag

Born: June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem

Beginnings: Started taking dancing lessons at 4; dreamed of dancing on Broadway. Was discovered at a Long Island pizza parlor by an agent for Revlon who wanted her to model. Portman turned it down, preferring to be an actress. She spent her holidays at theater camps. In 1994, Portman auditioned for Luc Besson’s thriller “The Professional.” Initially turned down, she auditioned again and won the role of a streetwise orphan girl who befriends an assassin (Jean Reno). She took her grandmother’s maiden name as her stage name.  (Dave Hogan / Getty Images)

Awards: Portman

Nomination highlights:

Golden Globe for supporting actress for 1999’s “Anywhere but Here”

Oscar and BAFTA nominations for supporting actress for 2004’s “Closer”

Awards:

Teen Choice Awards, Choice Movie Actress: drama-action adventure for 2002’s “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones”

Golden Globe for best supporting actress for “Closer”

National Board of Review for best acting by an ensemble for “Closer”

San Diego Film Critics Society Award for supporting actress for “Closer”

The Constellation Awards, best female performance in a 2006 science fiction film, TV movie or miniseries for “V for Vendetta”  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)