The actress, who won an Oscar for her performance in the thriller, has finally broken her silence on claims that she only performed 5 percent of the ballet dancing.
- April 8, 2011
AceShowbiz - Natalie Portman has broken her silence over the "Black Swan" ballet double controversy, insisting she won't "give in" to the gossip that is threatening to ruin the magic of the film. The actress' role as a troubled dancer has come under increasing scrutiny since she won the 2011 Best Actress Academy Award in February, with critics claiming her dancing double, American Ballet Theater star Sarah Lane - and not Portman - deserves the credit for the film's most breathtaking sequences.
In a Wall Street Journal essay on her movie experience, Lane insists Portman only performed five per cent of the ballet routines in the finished film, while the actress insists she worked hard to perfect her dancing skills - and performed about 75 per cent of what is seen in Black Swan. Director Darren Aronofsky, co-star Mila Kunis and Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied, who is Portman's fiance, have all defended the actress, as have studio bosses at Fox Searchlight - the company behind the movie.
Now Portman has finally spoken out to address the rumors she was not involved in the movie's complex ballet sequences. She tells E! News, "I had a chance to make something beautiful with this film and I don't want to give in to the gossip."
And Portman has dismissed speculation she intentionally omitted Lane from her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards. She says, "I don't remember my Oscar speech at all. And I'm actually too embarrassed to watch it."
