She's been starring in films since age 12, but for all the opportunities Natalie Portman has had in movies from her teen years ("The Professional," "Beautiful Girls and "Mars Attacks!") through adulthood ("Garden State," "Cold Mountain," "V for Vendetta" and "Closer"), there's been a certain genre that's always been missing from the acclaimed actress' diverse resume.

In fact, with the possible exception of the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, Portman has never been in a bonafide family film before. But a box with a bright red bow from writer-director Zach Helm containing the script to "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" finally opened up that possibility.

"I was never cast in family films when I was a kid, which was sort of a shame -- I think it was because I wasn't that cute-ish kid that you could stick in one of those movies. I was in others with grown-ups," said Portman, laughing, in an @ The Movies interview this week. "Now that I'm older, I feel that I fit better into a kids film."

Portman said that she made "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" not only for her own enjoyment but for her friends with kids.

"It was just a great opportunity to get to make the movie because I have a lot of friends with kids, who are my friends, too," Portman said. "It was a nice to make a movie that they could enjoy. I feel that it's really positive without being treacly in any way. It's not overly sweet in any way. It's just optimistic."

Portman stars as Molly Mahoney, a manager of a magical toy store owned by the wise and witty Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman). It's a wondrous place where the toys literally come to life -- a place that, to her surprise, will soon be bequeathed to her by her 243-year-old boss.

The problem is, Molly, a former musical prodigy at the crossroads of adulthood, has a confidence problem: She's never really finished anything she's started, and fears that she doesn't have the magical moxie to become a creative impresario like Mr. Magorium.

But when the toys in the store throw a tantrum and suddenly fall silent, Molly, must decide if she can courageously take the next big step forward to find the magic within herself to bring the toys back to life.

The film, which also stars Jason Bateman and Zach Mills, opens Friday.

While the setting of "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" is fantastical in nature, Portman said there's definitely something in Molly's character that everyone could relate to -- including herself.

"One of my reasons for making the film was that I could so understand what she's going through," Portman said. "It's hard making that transition into adulthood, and playing someone else's piece to writing your own is a big step. To have that courage to put yourself out there creatively is really scary. It's a really big deal to make that choice."

In her career, Portman felt that she took that next big step as an actor not on film, but on the stage at age 19 in New York's Central Park in "The Seagull." The play was done under the auspices of Mike Nichols, who eventually directed Portman to her Best Supporting Actress nomination for "Closer."

"Having someone that I so respected and was an accomplished person take me seriously, and give me respect and support, was so important to me," the 26-year-old performer said, humbly. "Sometimes it takes someone else looking at you in a certain way for you to be able to see it yourself."

Portman, of course, has earned the admiration of several noted directors and co-stars since then, and the feeling for her is mutual. She said that she always takes to the opportunity to absorb the work and learn from her colleagues, and in the case of "Mr. Magorium," it was a thrill to watch Hoffman at work and, effectively, play.

"He's extremely inventive -- pretty much everything he does is his own interpretation of the scene," Portman said in admiration. "He's always playing. You never know what you're going to get. He'll just throw out something out to you -- a new line or he'll start dancing in the middle of a scene. It's really incredible to be around that kind of spontaneity."

But Portman doesn't solely rely on the veteran performers and filmmakers for her inspiration: She's floored, in fact, by relative newcomers like Helm, who earned awards recognition and critical acclaim for his "Stranger Than Fiction" script last year.

"I think he's one of the best writers working right now," Portman said. "He's extremely creative, but with a real sense of goodness. He's really smart, funny and unique, and pushes standards, but at the same time, is not afraid to be sweet and to make something good."

Appropriately, the story for "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" was conceived by Helm when he was a part-time toy store employee in Chicago during his college years. The inspiration came to him on a rainy day when nobody was coming through the doors, and now, he's playing in a creative medium that's beyond his wildest imagination.

The challenge for Helm -- and Portman or any performer, for that matter -- is to maintain that sense of wonder while working in the movie business. Movie shoots are long and involved processes, and it's not unusual for a performer to have a hard time getting caught up in the amazing things they've created once they see it on the big screen themselves.

But "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" was an apt reminder of, well, how wondrous movies can be.

"That's one of the things that the movie is about -- to always find the wonder and not be blasé about stuff and take it for granted," Portman observed. "It is easy to wondrous things for granted. That's something that was cool about working with kids, because you see everything anew through their eyes. That's really cool."

And it's always a big plus, of course, if you're a toy fan working on a movie about a toy store. "I definitely loved toys growing up and am still a big fan of games," Portman enthused. "I'm a big backgammon player, and still play Scrabble. When I was little, I had all of the '80s toys like the Cabbage Patch Kids, My Little Pony and Rainbow Brite -- all of those things."

These days, kids growing up have the new waves of "Star Wars" prequel trilogy action figures, dolls and vehicles to play with .

Among them, of course, are several versions of Portman's character, Queen-turned-Senator Padme Amidala -- aka the wife of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and the mother of Luke and Leia (yes, it's true: one of Portman's action figures is of a pregnant Amidala!).

Portman said being immortalized is a concept that's still a bit tough to grasp.

"It's a really funny thing to get used to," Portman mused. 'I say to myself, 'Is that I would really look like if I were that small?' It's pretty weird."