“Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky has admitted that he tried but failed to stir up tension between co-stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis to help them get further into their rival characters.
Speaking to Vogue in honor of the psychological horror’s 15th anniversary, the trio recalled what Aronofsky dubbed a “sneaky” ploy to “make them argue.”
“Mila and Natalie both realized very quickly what I was doing and made fun of me, so it quickly became a joke that we all understood,” said the Brooklyn-born director. “They’re both very clever and were instantly privy to whatever trick I was playing.”
Portman, who won an Oscar for her role as Nina — and recommended her long-time pal for the role of Lily — specifically remembered Aronofsky trying to get under her skin by praising Kunis’ ballet dancing during filming.
“I was like … ‘She’s so f–ing talented and I love her so much and I’m happy she’s doing a great job!’” Portman told Vogue.
Aronofsky attempted a similar tactic on Kunis, but her friendship with Portman foiled his plan.
“Darren would tell me, ‘Nat is working really, really hard. She’s not even taking Saturdays and Sundays off,’” Kunis recalled. “Then I would text Nat and she’d be like, ‘…No, I’m not?’ I think that’s how we figured out what Darren was up to, but it was all in good fun.”
To celebrate the movie’s 15th anniversary, a remastered release of “Black Swan” is heading to IMAX screens nationwide on Aug. 21 and 24.
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