Celebrity Parents Natalie Portman Says She's 'Trying to Impress' Her Kids at This Phase in Her Career Natalie Portman shares son Aleph, 11, and daughter Amalia, 5, with husband Benjamin Millepied By Georgia Slater Georgia Slater Georgia Slater is an associate editor on the Parents team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2018. Her work has previously appeared in USA Today and Washington Life Magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on June 22, 2022 02:27PM EDT Photo: Getty Natalie Portman is keeping her kids in mind when it comes to choosing roles in Hollywood. The 41-year-old, who stars as Mighty Thor in the upcoming film Thor: Love and Thunder, recently spoke to Variety about how her kids felt about her heading back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Portman, who shares son Aleph, 11, and daughter Amalia, 5, with husband Benjamin Millepied, told the outlet that her two children actually encouraged her to do another Thor film. "I feel like it's the phase of my career where I'm really trying to just impress my kids," she said. "My 5-year-old and my 10-year-old [now 11] were so enthralled by this process, getting to visit the set and see me dressed up in a cape. It made it really cool," she added. "You know, it's very rare that my kids are like, 'Please go to work!' Usually, it's quite the opposite." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Natalie Portman in Thor Love and Thunder (2022). Marvel Entertainment Natalie Portman Shuts Down Pregnancy Rumor After Erroneous Tabloid Speculation: 'Do Better' Thor: Love and Thunder, directed by Taika Waititi, is the fourth installment of the MCU's Thor franchise, following 2017's well-received Thor: Ragnarok, also directed by Waititi. While Portman did not appear in that film, she played Thor's love interest Jane in the first two movies, 2011's Thor and Thor: The Dark World in 2013. Waititi recently told Empire magazine of love interest Jane's return, "It's been about eight years. She's had a whole other life, and then the love of your life comes back on the scene, and is now dressed like you. It's a real mind-f--- for Thor." "I was writing and it was like, 'Wouldn't it be kind of cool to bring Jane back into the storyline?' You don't want Natalie coming back and playing that same character who's walking around with science equipment. You know, while Thor's flying around, she's left on Earth, tapping her foot going, 'When's he going to be back?' That's boring," added Waititi. "You want her to be part of the adventure." Along with franchise lead Chris Hemsworth and Portman, Thor: Love and Thunder also stars Tessa Thompson and Russell Crowe, plus Guardians of the Galaxy's Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista.