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In one of the most overrated movies and performances of last year, Natalie Portman won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role as a crazy ballerina in Black Swan. Oscar voters were told how she diligently trained for months to transform herself into a ballerina. When in reality, Darren Aronofsy turned her into a ballerina by CGI-ing her head on an actual ballerina’s body. And, yes. CGI-ing is a word. I just made it up. Haha, suck it Webster! E! Online reports:
In her acceptance speech, Natalie graciously thanked her trainer, former New York City Ballet dancer, Mary Helen Bowers, her fiancé and costar, Benjamin Millepied, as well as a handful of other contributors. Someone whom Portman forgot to mention? Her dancing double, Sarah Lane, whose name has only surfaced after the Oscar win. In an interview with Dance Magazine, Lane claims that she had been asked by a Fox Searchlight producer to stop giving interviews until after the Oscars. “They were trying to create this facade that she had become a ballerina in a year and a half. So I knew they didn’t want to publicize anything about me.” Indeed, the cinematic genius showing just how Portman’s body was fused with dancing powerhouse Lane is well documented in the upcoming Black Swan DVD, due out next week. Another diss? Lane’s name also appears in the credits as an extra, not a dancing double. But why the need for a facade? If Natalie totally worked her butt off for the role (which everyone says she did), is it really necessary to make us believe that she mastered in a year what most ballerinas can’t even master after 10? She completely transformed herself, broken rib and all. For Sarah, this aspect was most disappointing, and she comments “how unfortunate it is that, as professional dancers, we work so hard, but people can actually believe that it’s easy enough to do it in a year. That’s the thing that bothered me the most.”
So, I’m not saying that Natalie Portman is an egotistical prima donna who would perpetuate a lie just so she could win and Oscar, but…oh, wait. Yes I am! Sorry about that.
