'Leon: The Professional' cannot be made today: Natalie Portman

Actor Natalie Portman, who rose to stardom at the age of 13 with assassin drama "Leon: The Professional", believes it would not be possible to remake the "largely inappropriate" film. The 37-year-old actor played a street-smart girl, Mathilda, who befriends her much older neighbour, a professional hitman called Leon (Jean Reno) and becomes his protegee when her family is killed by a corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration agent.

Portman, who has two children -- Aleph and Amalia -- with husband Benjamin Millepied, said she is not sure whether she wants to the film to her kids.

"It's as weird mix. It's still the thing people come up to me the most on the street, even more than 'Star Wars' or 'Black Swan'. I appreciate it when something connects with an audience. It also gave me my career on a platter and was a 100 per cent a positive experience. I loved doing it. But you watch and it's largely inappropriate.

"There's a lot of stuff in there that's not amazing through today's eyes. I think because people are still connected to it and care about it and I personally did not have anything but positive feelings, I still feel more on the proud side. Even though I totally understand - I don't know how I'd show that to my kids," the actor told Empire magazine.

Asked whether the film can be made today, Portman said, "I don't think it could.

There are so many things that... There are children's books I read and I think 'You Can't say that!'"