Update: The short film is NOW available online.
Yesterday we angrily reported that Wes Anderson’s 17-minute short film Hotel Chevalier starring Jason Schartzman and Natalie Portman will not be showing before The Darjeeling Limited after all. Many of you probably didn’t care (I mean Wes Anderson was so 5 years ago, right?). Well now you might. Timeout London is reporting that 
Natalie Portman appears in the nude:
This wistful and maudlin short story offers some background to the main attraction as Schwartzmann and Natalie Portman play a pair of estranged lovers who square up to each other in the sumptuous surroundings of a Parisian hotel room.
If there’s one element of ‘Hotel Chevalier’ that’s surprising for Anderson, it’s a strong sense of romance and sexuality: in one shot, Schwartzmann gently pulls off Portman’s clothes to reveal her naked body from behind, and a later shot has Portman, nude, standing still in a doorway, one foot up against the frame. It’s the sexiest thing that Anderson has ever done.
Who knows if this is true, the UK publications are usually not to be trusted 100%. And I’m sure we’ll probably learn later that it was a body double or something else. But even if it is true, it now appears we’ll have to wait for the DVD release to see the short film. Maybe if we all petition Fox Searchlight, they might find that fans want to see the prequel short attached to the main feature.
The short takes place in one room of a French hotel (Hotel Chevalier) and serves as “a short epilogue of one heartbreaking history of love and the prologue of the travel told in ‘The Darjeeling Limited.” Hotel Chevalier screened Out of competition in the upcoming Venice Film Festival, and is also scheduled to make an appearance at the New York Film Festival.
September 5th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
I have been waiting what seems like a lifetime for the next Wes Anderson movie. I have been attempting to feed my addiction with short interspersed clips of The Life Aquatic.
September 5th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
This report is not completely accurate. It is Portman, not a body double who appears, though she is not completely nude: she still wears her socks. And Anderson said here at the Venice Film Festival that the film should be made available on the internet by the time of the film’s release in theatres, so that audiences are given the opportunity to see Darjeeling only after having seen Hotel Chevalier.
September 5th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
I don’t care if Portman is nude or not, I just really wanna see Hotel Chevalier before it’s on dvd!
September 5th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Well that stinks. The short was one of the main draws for me actually. Oh, and petition all you want, but know this: Fox Searchlight doesn’t give a shit about their audience. See the US marketing and release of Sunshine for reference.
September 6th, 2007 at 9:55 am
And Sunshine was such a good movie, it could have done a lot better… its is def one of my favs of the year…
September 7th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Man Wes Anderson still rules!
September 9th, 2007 at 1:34 am
Well I can guarantee it will do well. But there was a movie called Ghost…something and it was about the crusades, she’s naked in that.
September 26th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
I’m not going to go into this much except to say this: If so many people’s prurient interests are aroused by this prospect (and how will they exhibit that scene at Apple retail stores?), then it is double stupid that Fox would give it away for free rather than put it before the film in thetaers!
October 11th, 2007 at 11:24 am
She DOES NOT get nude. The media and promoters are lieing to us. However, it is a good movie.
October 20th, 2007 at 8:35 am
i love nat shes so hot i have sex with her when ever i see her its just like cristmas morning
October 20th, 2007 at 8:43 am
natalie porrtman is so hot if i were her age when she made starwars 1 at the age of12 and went to my school id be her boy friend and marry her and have chilldren deffinetly natalie i wanna be your man
December 7th, 2007 at 8:47 am
thers a hot pic of her
http://rapidshare.com/files/74935259/natalieportman-nude.gif