Natalie Portman’s Online Acting Course: Is It Worth the Hype?

Natalie Portman is an actor with an impressive bio, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globes. She not only stars in films but also works behind the scenes on many projects in roles that include director, producer, and writer. Now she steps into the teaching role in a MasterClass online acting course.

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What is MasterClass, Exactly?

If this name is new to you, here’s the lowdown. It’s a platform offering lessons from the industry greats, and there’s a whole range of areas of expertise. From Gordon Ramsay cooking classes to a singing course taught by Christina Aguilera, the famous experts you often only see on TV or in movies are in the teacher’s seat.

As for how you learn, there are a wide range of tools set up for you as the student, including pre-recorded videos featuring your celeb instructor, a class workbook, and interactive projects. Here are the specifics on Natalie Portman’s online acting course.

There are a few terms to know about too if you browse the MasterClass site. A package of lessons from Natalie or another expert is a “class,” for example. The platform also offers an All-Access Pass, which enables you to pay more to receive more instructor’s classes.

If you look over the site and see 3 or more classes that you’d want to take then it’s probably worth getting the All Access Pass. Or select Natalie’s class if you’re only drawn to that one. Other types of classes than acting that are available include writing, photography, and directing.

Who is Natalie Portman’s MasterClass Designed for?

This class is for anyone who wants to improve for their next role. As with most things, leaders in your industry can teach you a lot. Sure you could trial and error it, and you will still to a certain extent, but the inside tips of an Academy Award winner like Natalie Portman are gold.

Getting a chance to hear her advice for getting to the next level in your acting game is a great reason to sign up for her course. Plus, it’s totally exclusive to MasterClass, meaning you won’t find it anywhere else.

And while paying a fee to access the content might throw you off at first, I urge you to think twice as when you pay for something you’re probably going to get a lot more than a freebie. Especially with top-notch actors like her signing up (Samuel L. Jackson is another actor offering lessons there).

Natalie Portman, in particular, is a woman I’m in awe of because she won her Oscar before even turning 30. And here’s a bit more about why she inspires me:

• Harvard graduate with a Psychology degree
• Joined the mega Star Wars franchise as Padme Amidala in Star Wars: Episode 1
• Started modeling at age 7, later choosing to focus on acting
• She is a self-taught actor

With all of this to her credit, Natalie is a go-getter in my mind. She has hosted SNL several times too.

What to Expect from this Online Acting Course

This MasterClass package has 20 lessons in total; they focus on how to improve your acting chops by getting to the meat of the process. Getting into an empathetic headspace, moving naturally, and tone of voice are all subjects within the course.

As for the lesson topics, they’re ones that Natalie Portman suggests herself. As she is the genius here, she’s creating the curriculum to host at MasterClass. The 20 lesson videos span a little more than a few hours and you can access them anytime you want. That means re-watching, rewinding, and fast-forwarding as you please. Pause it too if you want to make notes or practice one of Natalie’s tidbits.

I also like that there’s no set time to complete the online acting course. If you want to do a lesson every day, go for it, but if you’re super busy and don’t get to it for a week or two that’s cool too. It won’t expire like that – in fact, you can re-watch the lessons from your MasterClass account whenever in the future you want a refresher.

A cool feature is the commentary below each of Natalie’s videos too. The community or other students than yourself can upload comments and even their own videos in response to each lesson. That makes for great discussions and an interactive acting experience on the lessons that include:

• Developing Your Character Through Research – How to make the most of documentaries and other resources
• Working on Set – How to effectively connect with others on set
• Playing a Real Character – Stay true to the character while leaving room for creativity
• Improvisation – Tips to engage with your surroundings and actively listen
• Active Empathy – See acting as an empathy activity

Plus, there’s a workbook for the class and community-focused activities. The workbook is easy to download as a PDF and the community is a group of students you can discuss each lesson with.

And you can access it even on the go, from your phone or tablet. Or stay on desktop computer if you prefer that. All you need is an internet connection once you’ve purchased the class.

MasterClass Reviews

As MasterClass continues to attract big names to their classes, I think it’s worth also looking at whether MaterClass is a quality educational hub. After all, you want to make sure that you get the best experience possible to build your acting skills. While it’s clear so far that Natalie Portman is an ace in what she does, you want to make sure that she’s got the resources available to her at MasterClass to give you pointers.

And that she does. The videos are top-quality. MasterClass says that they want to bring Netflix quality to the educational space. See the video quality for yourself in the trailer for Natalie Portman’s online acting course below:

That’s the level of quality you can expect from all MasterClass lessons. Of course, it’s not the same interaction between students as you would get with an in-person classroom. I hope that part of the course gets a bit more of a ramp up soon. But in the meantime students can still have conversations about the lessons in the private MasterClass space set up for them.

But if you’re looking for teaching from a pro in the industry then you can find an assortment of them at MasterClass. Whether it’s worth it for you to take Natalie Portman’s online acting class really depends on what you want to get out of it and how you like to learn. Personally, I think the $120 for the 20 lessons is competitively priced.

Is This Online Acting Course Right for You?

If you tend to binge-watch Netflix, for example, then yes you can watch many lessons in a row at MasterClass. Or spread them out if you want, you have that freedom as a student there. And if you want to learn in the comfort or your home or while you’re on the go, you get that too.

Best of all, you’ll learn from a leading actor how to rise to the next level in your career. Get inside tips that you won’t get anywhere else in this exclusive learning environment through quality video and re-watch it whenever you feel like it.

With all of this going for it, there’s great value in the platform, which explains why industry leaders are signing up as instructors there. See it for yourself by checking out Natalie Portman’s online acting class at MasterClass today.

Have you heard of MasterClass before? Do you like learning online?