WATCH: Natalie Portman gives inspiring speech to Harvard students

MANILA, Philippines – Oscar winner Natalie Portman returned to her alma mater Harvard University Wednesday, May 27, as a speaker for the school’s Class Day ahead of the official commencement ceremony.

In her speech, Natalie recalled the time she entered as a freshman, saying she was not sure if she was in the right place.

“When I came in as a freshman in 1999, I felt like there had been some mistake, and that I wasn’t smart enough to be in this company and that everytime I opened my mouth, I would have to prove that I wasn’t just a dumb actress,” she said.

“When I got to Harvard just after just the release of Star Wars: Episode 1, I knew I would be starting over in terms of how people viewed me. I feared people would assume I had gotten in just for being famous, and that they would think I was not worthy of the intellectual rigor here,” she said. 

She also recalled the insecurities she hurdled in her time in college. But Natalie said that after she graduated college in 2003, she realized that acting was her true calling. 

“After 4 years of trying to get excited about something else, I admitted to myself that I couldn’t wait to go back and make more films. I wanted to tell more stories, to imagine the lives of others and help others do the same. I had found or perhaps reclaimed my reason,” she said.

Watch the rest of her honest, inspiring speech above. 

Natalie is currently busy with her directorial debut, A Tale of Love and Darkness. –Rappler.com