Mila Kunis And Natalie Portman Recalled How Darren Aronofsky Tried To Turn Them Against Each Other While Making “Black Swan,” And It Sounds Pretty Twisted

4 days ago 8

“two little experienced actresses mightiness person fallen for it.”

If you tin judge it, it’s astir been 15 years since Black Swan came out. Now, celebrating the milestone successful an interrogation with Vogue, the stars down the classical person spilled immoderate behind-the-scenes details.

A idiosyncratic   successful  an elaborate achromatic  costume with melodramatic  oculus  constitution  and a crown, posed arsenic  if performing a scene

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For context, the 2010 movie stars Natalie Portman arsenic Nina, a apical ballerina who is preparing to play some the White Swan, Odette, and the Black Swan, Odile, successful Swan Lake. As she struggles to pat into her darker broadside for Odile, Nina risks losing the portion to different apical ballet dancer named Lily, who is played by Mila Kunis.

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The movie got 5 Academy Award nominations and earned Natalie an Oscar for Best Actress successful 2011.

If you’ve seen it, you’ll cognize Nina and Lily person a analyzable rivalry successful the film, and speaking to Vogue, manager Darren Aronofsky recalled his attempts to bring immoderate of that hostility into the existent world.

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©Fox Searchlight/Courtesy Everett Collection

“I was trying to beryllium a sneaky manager and marque them argue,” helium said, erstwhile asked astir a assertion that helium “tried to pit Natalie and Mila against each other.” “Mila and Natalie some realized precise rapidly what I was doing and made amusive of me, truthful it rapidly became a gag that we each understood. They’re some precise clever and were instantly privy to immoderate instrumentality I was playing.”

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On X, Darren’s quotes person received a spot of backlash, with radical suggesting that his “manipulative” and “weird” strategy sought to undermine Natalie and Mila’s skills arsenic actors. “they should beryllium equipped capable to make immoderate indispensable rivalry connected screen,” 1 user wrote. “there’s nary request for caput games down the scenes erstwhile they are meant to ACT similar determination is play oregon tension.”

Three radical   astatine  an event. One wears an elegant achromatic  gown, different  a suit   with a scarf, and the 3rd  a stylish reddish  dress

Kevin Mazur / Getty Images

“What a bizarrely cutesy sheen this connection puts connected ‘I tried to gaslight the 2 women moving for maine into warring origin I thought it would marque my movie amended and didn't attraction astatine each astir their existent quality psyches,’” idiosyncratic other wrote, adding that “two little experienced actresses mightiness person fallen for it.”

Despite this, Mila and Natalie’s recollections of the concern bespeak that determination was nary harm done, and that they some enjoyed moving with Darren precise overmuch — contempt his estimation arsenic a “scary” and “intense” director.

Ballet dancer successful  rehearsal attire listens intently to a antheral   giving instructions successful  a creation   studio

©Fox Searchlight/Courtesy Everett Collection

“I retrieve being separated from Mila and that we weren’t successful the aforesaid abstraction a batch erstwhile we weren’t shooting,” Natalie remembered. “Darren made immoderate remark aboriginal on, like, ‘Ya know, Nat, Mila’s dancing truthful well.’ And I was like, ‘Of people she is! She’s truthful fucking talented and I emotion her truthful overmuch and I’m blessed she’s doing a large job!’”

Actor successful  an elegant achromatic  off-the-shoulder gown with delicate lace details, lasting  connected  a reddish  carpet

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Black Swan was the archetypal clip I felt similar I had a caput meld with a director, wherever each of america ever knew precisely what to say,” she continued. “Every clip we talked it felt similar helium gave maine a small cardinal that unlocked a country for me.”

Similarly, Mila knew amended than to autumn for the caput games. “Darren would archer me, ‘Nat is moving really, truly hard. She’s not adjacent taking Saturdays and Sundays off.’ Then I would substance Nat and she’d beryllium like, ‘...No, I’m not?’” she recalled. “I deliberation that’s however we figured retired what Darren was up to, but it was each successful bully fun.”

A idiosyncratic   successful  elegant attire with star-shaped earrings smiles astatine  a personage  event

Gilbert Flores / Getty Images

“I retrieve doing property for Black Swan and each writer wanted to cognize however scary Darren was: ‘How aggravated was his set? How aggravated was he?’” Mila went on. “I would say, ‘He’s really a truly kind, beauteous feline who took america to spot Twilight 1 clip due to the fact that we had the time off.’ And journalists were ever truthful disappointed that helium wasn’t immoderate tortured psyche who treated america similar garbage.”

At galore points successful the interview, Mila and Natalie item their adjacent friendship, which dates backmost years earlier they adjacent starred unneurotic successful Black Swan. In fact, it was Natalie who archetypal suggested Mila should beryllium formed alongside her.

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Michael Caulfield / Getty Images

And Darren truly thought helium could get these 2 to hatred each other? Think again.

I’d beryllium intrigued to get your thoughts connected this successful the comments. You tin work the afloat Vogue communicative here

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