Celebrity Parade With Jeanne Wolf

Feb. 29, 2008 — -- Natalie Portman

Life in the palace of Henry the Eighth could be a soap opera. "The Other Boleyn Girl" gets deliciously trashy as sisters Anne and Mary compete for the affection of the king. Natalie Portman, who plays Anne, has a moment of royal passion with Eric Bana that made even the crew blush. Then she had to put on her costume again! She told Parade, "Never put your corset on after lunch. How did women manage?"

Hey, even though Natalie found Bana certifiably sexy, she also reveals he was very funny. "We both got the giggles during a scene and couldn't stop," she says. "At first everyone thought it was cute, but after a while they just wanted us to stop and get on with it."

Off-screen, Natalie reveals she isn't perfect, even though she's hardly a source of tabloid headlines. "I make mistakes and hope they don't end up in a newspaper. But, you can't stop being a flawed person," she says. "You have to fall on your face a lot. I've been lucky enough that most of my big falls have been missed by the tabloids, I guess. Obviously other people have not been so lucky."

Christina Ricci

A nip/tuck specialist might have second thoughts about a make-over for Christina Ricci in "Penelope." A curse dooms her to grow up with the nose of a pig. Wearing a prosthetic schnoz wasn't easy. Ricci told Parade, "Nothing stopped the itching." But Christina thinks teens will get the message of not being trapped by insecurities. She says, "How many girls turn to a mirror and say, 'I look like a pig today.'"

As for the cruel world which takes delight in Penelope's deformity, Ricci says, "I think we've gone past just self-hatred to people oozing their hate all over other people. It used to be like, 'I hate myself' and now it's, 'I hate you.'"

"I've been guilty of being critical," she adds. "But, my sister is even tougher and thinks people should dress a certain way and look a certain way. When she starts dissing someone, I'm like, 'You know what? If it makes them happy…' So that's my new thing."

Sheryl Crow

She went through a break-up with Lance Armstrong and a battle with breast cancer. No wonder Sheryl Crow was ready for a comeback in her personal life. Sheryl tells Parade she's found it, being a single mom to her adopted baby boy Wyatt. And Sheryl also reveals she's dating again. Now, with a new album "Detours" she's back on track with her career. And Sheryl isn't ruling out a walk down the aisle.

Although she may not exactly be wearing rose-colored glasses, Crow certainly has a bright outlook even when reflecting on some of her darkest moments. "I think vulnerability offers you an opportunity for expansion. Even loneliness creates the opportunity for people to come in."

And who better to enter her life than her new baby Wyatt, who Sheryl says has not only enriched her personal life, but also inspires her musically. "Having him around really made me fearless about writing what I wanted to write."

For more on famous faces go to Parade.com.