Mila Kunis has opened up about the grueling work involved in her physical transformation for her role as a professional ballerina in Black Swan.
In honor of the film’s 15-year anniversary, Kunis sat down with Natalie Portman and the movie’s director, Darren Aronofsky, to speak with Vogue about the filming process and how they prepared.
“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,” the That ‘70s Show alum 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,” she continued. “It sucked for Darren, but Nat and I were so happy because we had three extra months to dance.”
The actor continued, admitting that while filming the various ballet routines, she ended up both bruising her ribs and dislocating one of her shoulders. “We would shoot those dancing scenes for hours, and I had bruises all over my ribs just from being lifted over and over again,” she recalled.
In the film, Portman plays a ballerina named Nina, who is considered to take the lead role in her dance company’s production of Swan Lake. However, her position is threatened when Kunis’s character, Lily, appears, and a rivalry between the dancers ensues.
Speaking to Vogue, Portman recalled how Kunis was cast in the film to begin with.
“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. 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,” she said.
However, Kunis joked that Portman may have over exaggerated how much ballet experience she actually had.
“I think I said, ‘I danced once,’ and that got twisted into me having taken pointe,” the Friends with Benefits actor said as Portman replied, “I may have exaggerated on your behalf!”
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The Thor actor reflected on the differences in the movie from when she first filmed Black Swan in 2009, against what it looked like 15 years later.
“I didn’t quite understand the tone of the movie while we were shooting, and was pretty surprised by what it ended up being. That first time watching it was shocking and exhilarating in a really wonderful way. I had no comprehension of the scope of Darren’s vision while we made it,” she said. “The success was incredible.”
