Mila Kunis recently told Vogue magazine while marking the 15th anniversary of “Black Swan” that her preparation for the ballerina thriller consisted of “a lot of dancing and very little eating.” Kunis starred in the Darren Aronofsky-directed film as Lily, a free-spirited ballerina who Natalie Portman’s Nina comes to lust after and fear as a threat to her leading role.
“My prep was a lot of dancing and very little eating — which I know you’re not supposed to say, but it’s the truth. I drank a lot of broth and danced for 12 hours a day,” Kunis said. “We were only supposed to have three months of prep before filming started, but we lost some financing, so that got extended to six months while Darren tried to find money. It sucked for Darren, but Nat and I were so happy because we had three extra months to dance.”
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Kunis added, “We would shoot those dancing scenes for hours, and I had bruises all over my ribs just from being lifted over and over again.”
Natalie Portman told the publication that she pitched Aronofsky on casting Kunis when she found out about her prior ballet experience. Kunis was primarily known for comedies like the Fox sitcom “That ’70s Show.” Her casting in “Black Swan” was a dramatic detour and earned her critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress in a motion picture.
“We had been friends for years, and I remember being at the Rose Bowl Flea Market with her, talking about this ballet movie I was making with Darren,” Portman remembered. “Mila said, ‘I remember when I would take off my pointe shoes…’ and I was like, ‘Wait, you did ballet?; I immediately called Darren and said there was this amazing actress with ballet experience who would be perfect for Lily.”
Aronofsky recalled in the same interview that he had tried and failed to stoke a rivalry on set between the two actors to better reflect their on-screen feud.
“My take is that I was trying to be a sneaky director and make them argue,” he admitted. “Mila and Natalie both realized very quickly what I was doing and made fun of me, so it quickly became a joke that we all understood. They’re both very clever and were instantly privy to whatever trick I was playing.”
“Black Swan” returns to Imax theaters Aug. 21 and Aug. 24 to celebrate its 15th anniversary. Head over to Vogue magazine’s website to read the full interview in its entirety.
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