The movie that Natalie Portman found physically tormenting: “I thought I literally was going to die”
Ever since Natalie Portman burst onto the scene in 1994 with her debut performance in Luc Besson’s action-thriller Leon: The Professional, she has consistently impressed cinema audiences in a wide range of dramatic roles, from the space-faring Star Wars to her work on the stage in The Seagull.
Just ten years after her career began, Portman earned her first Academy Award nomination, a ‘Best Supporting Actress’ nod for her effort in Mike Nichols’ Closer. From there, Portman delivered further admirable portrayals in the likes of V for Vendetta, The Other Boleyn Girl and Jackie.
When it comes to Portman’s most significant role, though, it’s hard to look beyond her magnificent effort in Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 psychological horror movie Black Swan, in which she plays Nina Sayers, a ballerina tasked with playing both the White Swan and Black Swan in a production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
Portman ended up winning the Academy Award for ‘Best Actress’ for Black Swan, but she had to pay her physical dues in the process. In portraying the perfectionist ballerina Nina, Portman suffered several injuries, including a dislocated rib and a concussion, showing there was a sacrifice to be made for her eventual recognition.
The actor once admitted that during the making of Black Swan, she “thought [she] literally was going to die.” Portman had to lose some weight for the role and then, already at the point of hunger and weakness, had to train rigorously to become a professional dancer, sometimes for up to 16 hours a day.
The effect was that Portman truly began to turn into her character without having to resort to any sort of method acting, which she was not known for anyway. She told Entertainment Weekly, “It was the first time I understood how you could get so wrapped up in a role that it could take you down.”
Despite her injuries, the actor still admitted that what she went through on set preparing to play Nina was little compared to what real-life professional dancers have to suffer, telling NPR, “Real dancers dance with such incredible injuries that you wouldn’t even believe. They will dance with a sprained ankle or torn plantar fascia or twisted necks.”
The fear of actual death always seemed to be on Portman’s mind throughout filming. She certainly was put through the wringer by Aronofsky, and it was a role that she nearly lost herself in, but considering the plaudits that came her way after the film’s release, perhaps all the suffering was worth it.
