I'd like to elaborate on my process for password protecting projects.
I created a separate portfolio page and named it "Private"
Set a password
Moved it to the "Not Linked" section
Added projects to it and published.
Now I can securely share its URL with specific people while providing the password or I can present it during an interview without sharing the password with anyone.
And now I have one public portfolio page with public projects and a private portfolio page.
This direction doesn't require any custom code or anything, simply using SS available features.
Let me know if this helps 🙂