Natalie Portman's bald ambition

Natalie Portman at the Berlin Film Festival screening of her movie 'V for Vendetta'. Picture / Reuters

Natalie Portman says she fulfilled a long-standing ambition by shaving her head for science-fiction thriller V for Vendetta - and attracted more attention than she's used to.

"I was really excited to get to shave my head - it's something I'd wanted to do for a while and now I had a good excuse," said Portman, now with a full head of hair. "It was nice to shed that level of vanity for a girl." However, "walking down the street, I can usually blend in, and people really stare at you when you're a girl with a shaved head".