Natalie Portman refused to play an emotionally conflicted nun in new movie 'Doubt' because she didn't "understand celibacy".
Director John Patrick Shanley - who also penned the play on which the film
is based - has revealed Natalie was in the running for the part of Sister
James, which was eventually taken by Amy Adams.
He said: "We asked Natalie Portman, and Natalie was very interested but kept
saying she had a problem. And we finally nailed down as to what the problem
was. She basically said she didn't understand celibacy."
'Doubt' - which also stars Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius Beauvier - tells
the story of a nun who confronts a priest after discovering he has been
sexually abusing a black student.
Meryl has already been tipped for an Academy Award for her role.
However, Shanley downplayed the Oscar buzz surrounding the film, insisting:
"Our job is to do the very best we can and strive for excellence, to do it
because it means something to us and that we think its worthy of
communicating to other people.
"Awards are a wonderful thing but I think that's why I do it and that's why
they do it."