Fears of death, severe injuries: inside the making of 'Black Swan'

Fun facts about a dark film

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

The movie ‘Black Swan’ (2010) made its mark not only on the history of cinema but also on the world of ballet. In the film, Natalie Portman, who won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her performance, plays Nina, a dedicated ballerina who pushes herself to the brink of exhaustion in her quest for perfection. But you already knew that...

Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures

The first role where she felt so involved

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

"There were some nights that I thought I literally was going to die," she explained. "It was the first time I understood how you could get so wrapped up in a role that it could sort of take you down."

She had to lose almost 20 pounds

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

To look more like a professional ballerina, Natalie Portman had to lose almost 20 pounds (9 kilos). She worked out five hours a day, every day, doing cross-training, swimming, and ballet.

Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures

No doctor for a dislocated rib

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

At one point, Natalie Portman dislocated a rib and called the production for help, only to be told there was no doctor available. She suggested they take away her trailer and use the money for medical assistance instead. The next day, all the support vehicles were gone.

Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Massages

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

Portman took six weeks to recover from the injury and required numerous massages during filming due to the pain.

Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Head injury

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

During another scene, Portman hit her head, resulting in a severe bump that required an MRI.

Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Inspiration

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

Director Darren Aronofsky's interest in ballet began when his sister studied dance at the High School of Performing Arts in New York. The concept for the film came to him after reading a script called 'The Understudy,' set in a New York theater company.

Ten years to go from screenplay to movie

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

Aronofsky hired a team of writers to rewrite the script, changing the setting to a ballet company. It took about ten years for the screenplay to make it to the big screen.

Name change

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

Initially, the character Nina was going to be named Alexandria, but the production decided to change it.

(Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures/YouTube)

Real life rivalry

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

To create real tension between the ballerinas, director Darren Aronofsky tried to foster a rivalry between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. He kept them in separate environments and even sent text messages to one actress praising the other’s performance.

Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures

More rehearsal hours

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

Two months before filming began, choreographer Benjamin Millepied added three more hours of rehearsal to the schedule.

Georgina Parkinson

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

Georgina Parkinson, a dancer with the Royal Ballet and a soloist with the American Ballet Theatre, played a major role in training Portman. She particularly focused on coaching her on the different dance styles of the white swan and the black swan. Unfortunately, Parkinson passed away two weeks before filming started.

Tequila

Fun facts about a dark film, The first role where she felt so involved, She had to lose almost 20 pounds, No doctor for a dislocated rib, Massages, Head injury, Inspiration, Ten years to go from screenplay to movie, Name change, Real life rivalry, More rehearsal hours, Georgina Parkinson

Portman and Kunis, who are friends in real life, suggested having some drinks to loosen up for the film’s more intimate scenes. A bottle of tequila was brought in, and a day and a half was set aside to shoot the sequence. The director felt guilty and decided not to watch the filming.

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