Live for Films was invited to the London press conference for Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (due out in the UK on 21 January). Natalie Portman was there and so was Alan Simmons for Live for Films. This is his report.
Come. Travel back through time with me, to those heady, final days of 2010 – a simpler time, a future balanced on a knife edge. Now imagine a perfectly dolled up Natalie Portman striding forth confidently, through a magnificent ballroom, possibly fresh from vanquishing her foes on the dodgem cars over the road, in Green Park’s Winter Wonderland.
She’s in town today to talk about her new and amazing film – Black Swan, which I reviewed for the site way back in October, after the Jameson folk were kind enough to invite me along to the gala screening at the London Film Festival. In the film Natalie Portman plays Nina, a painfully dedicated ballerina who after being cast as the lead in a new production of Swan Lake, must embrace her darker, baser, steamier side if she is to stand any chance of not losing the part. Or her mind.
To the applause of those in awe of the A-list aura shining forth from every one of her perfectly formed pores, Miss Portman took her seat and our questions.
On the fact that the script’s original backdrop was that of the theatre, not the world of ballet:
I actually never read the theatre version of the script. Darren spoke to me about the idea ten years ago, when I was still in college. He already mentioned it to me as a story set in the ballet world, which was really exciting to me as it was a world that always really appealed to me as this expression without words. I think the ballet world is also fitting for this as it’s particularly a female art form, but dominated by men.
On whether she is a perfectionist and can relate to her characters constant striving for perfection:
I’m very demanding of myself, but I’m not self punishing. I never think I’ve done enough, I always feel I can do more. But I don’t like being hungry, or in pain, or tired! For this character, I went into that self punishing mode and didn’t sleep and didn’t eat and worked out, through injuries, for three months. I did that for the character, but on my own – I’m a pleasure seeker.
On her physical preparations:
I started training a year before the film. I worked with a ballet teacher who was a New York City ballet dancer for ten years. We trained for five hours a day: three hours of ballet and swim and tone for two hours. Then two months before the start of shooting we started working with a choreographer and various ballet coaches. We did very detailed work, from finger tips to elbows… They were also there during filming, to give me notes after every take.
On these preparations giving her a greater insight into her character/the world of ballet:
Absolutely. You really understand the discipline, the rigour, the willingness to work through physical pain. Also spending five hours a day, with a former ballet dancer, for a year gave me A LOT of stories.
On Aronofsky’s approach to directing:
Darren is a really, really exacting director. It was really wonderful to get to watch him work. He’s… he’s… I think we had an early recognition that we were equally military in our approach to work. It was a really quick, almost telepathic, reaction between us. He also gave me one of the greatest gifts that any director’s ever given me which was that after we tried everything he wanted to do: he’d give me ten different ways to attack a scene; he would say “OK, now do this one for yourself”. A lot of director’s say “this one’s a freebie” or “this is a free take”, but to just put it in those words gave me such a different understanding – for myself and also for the character.
On whether the film is a fair portrayal of the ballet world:
We had a lot of ballet dancers verifying the details of the film and I think this clearly depicts one particular dancer’s story, in one particular FICTIONAL company. It’s not meant to be taken as truth for every company, or every dancer, it’s fiction. However, I think a lot of the details are mined from true stories. There’s some stuff that people might not want to admit is true, but is deeply, darkly true.
Are there any roles that she would kill for?
I don’t think I’d ever “kill” for a role. I don’t think anything’s quite that important. I think that this film is an example of role I was honoured and excited to get to do.
What she thinks of all the buzz about awards, that’s currently associated with her performance:
It’s obviously very flattering. It’s exciting to be in a film that people like. The real rewarding thing is audience reaction, the most fun is to hear people debating and engaging passionately about it.
On whether she thinks that long gestation period (ten years) was necessary for her to fit the role:
I think it was an absolute asset. I started as a child actress, wanting to please and make everyone happy… It’s like that pageant thing, where you’re always looking for approval. You have to get to a state where you’re doing things for yourself and that’s something I gained in my twenties and it gave me a perspective that really helped. But it also made the earlier parts of the film, where she’s childlike and naïve, harder – because it felt like a regression of sorts.
On whether she learned anything about herself:
I suppose I learned how much I could do. Because I think of myself, as I said, as someone who likes pleasure not pain – putting myself through that was scary, but it was good to know that I could focus like that for a role.
On which of the two swans resembles her the most (firstly, the two swans are the white and the black – the good and the naughty, the innocent and the sinful. Secondly, that was my darn question!):
Ummm… I like to shut off the characters, whether it’s after a take or after school… “After school”?! I’m sorry! It feels like that sometimes! Anyway, I like to shut off and it was really difficult on this one. I’m sorry, someone’s thing is really beeping!
One of the many, many dictaphones in front of Natalie has begun incessantly beeping and Portman and the moderator begin digging through them to try and find the culprit. Natalie: “I think it’s this white one”. Lady who just stole my question: “White one? Oh no, I’m so sorry that’s my one!” She very sheepishly runs to the front to spirit away the suddenly self aware piece of audio equipment.
What was I talking about? Which swan? I think everyone’s a bit off both. I don’t think anyone’s all white or black – we all have that purity and impurity battling inside us.
Did the costumes help her get into the role?
Yes… The costumes were incredible. They were magnificent and did help me feel swan like. Clothes, make-up, all that stuff helps. You look in a mirror and see a different person and get that feedback…
Did she sustain any injuries? And did she get up to anything fun in Ireland recently? FYI. the asker was oirish and she shot Your Highness there.
Yeeeaaah. I was with the most fun people, in the most fun country – having no fun.
Everyone “ahhhhhh”s. You can tell it was nearly panto season.
I was the boring schoolgirl hanging out with all the cool guys: no drinking, no eating. I got to see a lot of the countryside though, which was beautiful and which you can do sober!
Injuries? There were constant foot things and strained muscles. But the worst was the dislocated rib, which happened during a lift. It’s when one rib goes under another rib and it happened at the end of the first half of the film, so for the second half of the shoot I couldn’t take a deep breath.
The moderator says she’ll take two more questions. My hand, which I can’t feel due to having had it up for twenty minutes, reaches a little higher skyward. “The lady on this side and the gent on the fourth row”. Fourth row? I’m that gent – BOOM.
Did being an actress help her understand her characters mixing up of fact and fiction?
Like… I was saying before… I try and be able to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not, but there’s always strands that linger afterwards. This one was harder to shake than most.
Live for Films: Hiya Natalie.
Hi.
LfF: What was it like to work with Winona Ryder (who plays the ballet company’s previous Swan Queen, who usurped by Nina’s casting, spirals into self destruction)? Was she someone you looked up to, growing up as an actress?
Absolutely. I think I’ve probably watched her more than any other actress. If you think about how many great movies in which she had the lead role… I don’t think there’s any actress that can compare. Between, you know… Mermaids and Heathers and Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands and Reality Bites and ummm Dracula, Age of Innocence, Little Women… It’s crazy when you think about it. Most actresses have one of those movies. She’s really iconic and I was really excited to get to work with her and she was amazing. She was kind and professional and patient, because you know there were days when she’d have to wait around for a long time. She just was completely humble and wonderful, and to watch her turn on such extreme emotions so quickly – it was just an honour to watch her work and I hope I get another chance.
LfF: (My mic has been taken away, so I mouth) Thank you.
Natalie Portman was an absolute pleasure to spend time in a swanky ballroom with and I was stoked to get a question in, right at the death (though I still can’t believe I resisted the urge to ask her to do her rap). Black Swan is a perfect plie of thrills and fear, topped off with a magnificent pirouette of performances, bound to win everyone involved many plaudits and statuettes. It is in UK cinemas nationwide as of January 21st and I’m all out of ballet terms.
