Natalie Portman's photoshoots have been high on the cute factor [1] lately, posing with puppies and riding around on bikes [2]. They fit right in with the theme of her new movie Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium [3], but this Sunday's The New York Times Style Magazine [4] showcases a different side of the star. Natalie has always seemed like one of Hollywood's more mature young stars, and this article and photoshoot are no exception. Here are highlights [5]:

[5]

• On growing up:
  "I was once told that the age you are is the age you were when you became who you are. Does that mean I am perpetually 11? I'm not sure I want to have that strict an image. In the movie business, there is such a temptation to stick with a particular persona. There is a kind of artistic branding."
• On shaving her head:
  "Being bald was great, but the regrowth was the problem. My hair is very curly, and I'd have to have someone iron it if I wanted it to be straight. There was a lot of head-burning. And I started craving hair. I wanted to feel like a girl again."
• On death scenes:
  "I've died many times. I died in Closer, but they changed the ending and, miraculously, I lived. I also died in Star Wars and in Cold Mountain. Death scenes are not more difficult than other scenes. It's much harder to laugh than cry. I find it so hard to fake laughing. I have no laugh except my own, and that laugh is very particular, very modern. It's hard to make any other laugh sound real. It's like sneezing: you really only have one sneeze."

Natalie always comes across as wise beyond her years, even if she is only eleven at heart. Do you like these more serious photos of Natalie, or do you prefer her more fun-loving side?

Natalie also sat down with the newspaper for a video interview to talk about her childhood, her favorite sounds and her happiest times. To watch it just