People seriously mind blown after learning Natalie Portman isn't actor's real name

Fans can't believe what Natalie Portman's real name is.

Believe it or not, a lot of the big names you know from Hollywood don't use their real names for work, despite millions around the world knowing them as these for one reason or another.

It's not a new concept by any means, with stage names are often being used by performers and entertainers instead of their legal names to create a separate public identity, to avoid confusion with other entertainers that have similar names, or due to their birth name being hard to spell or pronounce.

Regardless of the reason, the stark difference for some actors can catch movie fans off guard, such as Vin Diesel's real name actually being Mark Sinclair - in all fairness, an actor who is best known for his role in car franchise while sporting 'Diesel' as a last name seemed too good to be true.

Portman has featured in a range of titles over the course of her career (Lucasfilm)

However, one well-known actress' decision to use a different last name has made fans surprised before they realised that it was probably for the best.

You may know Natalie Portman for her roles in Star Wars, Thor, or Black Swan, but the fact of the matter is that the Israeli-American actor is one of the most recognisable actors in the industry, and has been, for the last 25-or-so years.

Her stage name seems pretty standard, but her real name has thrown a few people off - it's Natalie Hershlag.

In an Instagram post revealing her real name, fans took to the comments to share some giggles and understanding over the 44-year-old's early career decision to go by a different last name.

One wrote: "Can see why Natalie went with Portman," with laughing emojis, while another wrote: "I understand why Natalie Hershlag wanted a change."

A third added: "Natalie Hershlag is a career ender. Can see why she changed."

Speaking in a Vanity Fair interview in 2024, she revealed why she made the choice to switch her last name out, saying it was important for her to do.

"I got very protective of it very early on, I chose a different name when I started, which was kind of an interesting way that I separated identities," Portman said.

Portman said that she made the decision as a young actor starting out in the industry (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

She recalled: "I would get upset if someone at school called me Natalie Portman, I was like, if you know me, you know me as Natalie Hershlag at school. It was kind of an extreme bifurcation of identity that I’ve tried to integrate a little bit more as an adult.”

The actress, who has been in the industry since the age of 13, said that she realised that it isn't the most helpful thing for her today, though.

“As I started having kids and a family, I started realising that maybe it was not helpful to be like, there’s two of me. I have many interactions during my day as a public person. To exclude that from my experience is not real,” Portman admitted.