Luc Besson-directed action-packed crime movie Léon: The Professional was released 30 years ago starring Jean Reno as Léon, Natalie Portman as Mathilda Lando, and Gary Oldman as villainous Norman Stansfield. The movie did well at the box office while gaining critical accolades for the gravity of the narrative but in one regard, the 1994 movie was awfully disturbing, at least as perceived by some fans.
One Deleted Scene From Léon: The Professional Has Resurfaced
Natalie Portman Jean Reno in Léon: The Professional. Image Credit: Gaumont/Columbia Pictures
Natalie Portman is one of the most remarkable and sought-after actors of the generation with astonishing credits including Black Swan, V For Vendetta, and her Star Wars and Thor franchise. Portman made her movie debut in Léon: The Professional when she was just 13 years old and the movie was, inherently very sexualized in nature which includes her character Mathilda Lando.
When the film was first tested in LA, it incuded a scene where Mathilda asks Léon to be her lover. However, the audience became extremely uncomfortable and began to laugh nervously. The film received terrible test scores at the screening, and Besson cut it for theatrical release. pic.twitter.com/mAzfZKDeMP
— Genevieve Gluck (@WomenReadWomen) December 11, 2021
Portman’s Mathilda is only 12 years old but her life has already seen too much of the darkness of society and human nature. Her abusive father works for corrupt police officers storing drugs, and her mother does not care about her. Jean Reno’s Léon, a hitman who lives down the hall, and is kind of obsessed with his houseplants. Gary Oldman’s crooked DEA agent Stansfield murdered Mathilda’s family.
Mathilda started to live with Léon as an apprentice of the hitman while plotting revenge for her family. However, the pot does not end there, there are a lot of disturbing sexual undertones which include Mathilda’s seduction of Léon.
Fans Are Rattled By The Deleted Scene Of Léon: The Professional
Natalie Portman Jean Reno in a scene in Léon: The Professional. Image Credit: Gaumont/Columbia Pictures
Of course, Léon: The Professional has been hailed as one of the prominent action movies with Oldman’s astounding performance as the villain of the movie. Reno and Portman’s portrayal of their characters also made a significant mark in the popularity of the movie, however, the resurfaced deleted scene of the movie made fans rethink the movie again.
I just wanna know why this grown ass man agreed to act this out with a literal child
— munah🌺 (@oonalunah) June 12, 2024
was gonna ask for the plot but nvm im mad uncomfortable
— Lord Hokage 🍃✨ (@onihime326) June 12, 2024
It's literal pedophile propaganda using fiction to do DARVO with real life CSA. Because of movies like this Natalie Portman would have grown men do pervy radio shows doing countdowns till when she was going to turn 18.
— Partially Estrogenated Smolbean Oil 🏳️⚧️🔆 (@homebrewfutures) June 12, 2024
Ewww I can't finish watching! I always thought her playful dress up scene was cringe ( and yrs later discovered the meaning) Haven't seen the movie since.
It was one of my favs but I guess some movies don't need to be revisited 😓
— Angharad🟧 (@CelticGodess20) June 12, 2024
This! I watched it as a pre-teen and I loved it (I missed all the subtext thou) I watched it again a few years back and I was so so sad and disappointed :((((
— sele / semi-hiatus (@selenegray_) June 12, 2024
That is so hard to watch. She is a little girl…omg
— Sandy (@sandyt0es) December 12, 2021
The movie has a decent 74% Rotten Tomatoes score and was hailed by many fans but the scene was deleted in the United States which could put the movie in the bad light even further. The very relationship between the title characters is disturbing for sure as the movie attempts to explore the psychology of the characters despite the sexualization of Mathilda to a concerning level, she is 12, and her character was weirdly creepy as conceived by fans.
Léon: The Professional is available to stream on Netflix.
