No rom-coms for Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman has admitted why she has never starred in a romantic comedy - because she finds the films boring.

In an interview with Elle magazine, the actress said that she finds the roles in romantic comedies not challenging enough for her.

Rather than going for a part where she would play the girlfriend of the leading male, or a film where her character would be on the hunt for a husband, she said she prefers to look for characters that make her laugh.

The 28-year-old, who will next be seen starring with Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brothers, added that making the film was difficult because of the emotion involved, so she used to relax by having snowball fights with the children on set.

Another young star who seems to have a talent for picking out the best film roles is Will Smith's son Jayden. Despite being only 11 years old, he has already acted alongside his dad in the critically acclaimed In The Pursuit of Happyness and is now set to star in a remake of The Karate Kid.

xxx Suzie Foreman