If you were under the impression that first-time Oscar winner Natalie Portman danced the Black Swan by herself, think again.
27-year-old American Ballet Theatre soloist and Black Swan body double, Sarah Lane claims that movie goers have been falsely misled as to how much of the dancing performed in the film was actually Natalie’s.
Lane told Entertainment Weekly: “Of the full body shots, I would say five percent are Natalie. All the other shots are me.”
Whoa! Lane also claims that while she performed the most technical and incredible dance sequences, Portman’s face was only digitally inserted onto her body.
Portman’s fiance and Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied disagrees. He claims the movie is “85 percent Natalie” and Lane “just did the footwork, the fouettes, and one diagonal [phrase] in the studio.”
Portman has been open about using a stunt double. “I do have a double for the complicated turning stuff.” But Lane wants more recognition. For her six weeks working on the film, she was merely credited as Hand Model and Stunt Double.
Lane expressed her dissatisfaction with her treatment by Portman and executives at Fox Searchlight.
It is demeaning to the profession and just to me. I’ve been doing this for 22 years… Can you become a concert pianist in a year and a half, even if you’re a movie star?
Ouch!
Bottom line: All this ‘he said she said’ doesn’t take away from the fact that Black Swan was a great movie. In my book, Natalie Portman still deserves the Oscar. A dance double doesn’t discount the amount of work and training she underwent to become the role.
But maybe next time, Portman should acknowledge her body double in her Oscar acceptance speech.
This is a hard one to call. The truth always comes out.
Wow… I thought she did the whole tintin all by her self. By the way, I am still impressed though.
Ahhh! That explains why this movie was so good and Natalie Portman looked like the real ballerina. Do you guys think the Oscar should have gone to her then since she didn’t do much of the stuff… I mean, she only did 95% of the stance according to the double so… I mean, should she keep the Oscar?
I think that Natalie still deserves the Oscar. I don’t know if this double is just trying to get her popularity up so she can get to play some roles in Hollywood or not. Whatever her reason for coming out now, just ‘cos she saw Natalie win the Oscar, for me is a little greedy. So you got paid, what else do you want? And that’s exactly where the issue is. She doesn’t only want recognition, she want it all now… the fame, the stardom and the opportunities for doubles out there.
I think she is just pissed off with Benjamin. I mean, Benji got Natalie pregnant and her? She’s been dancing all these years and she can’t land herself a Benji? Come on Natalie, this was gonna get nasty once you snatched Benji out of her reach.
I dont think Ben has got anything to do with it. The girl is just greedy, she needs some money.
I am completely dissappointed in her Oscar award. I really thoght she did everything herself. Aronofsky made it come of that way, talking abt she trained 365 days a year, 4/6 hours a week. I mean, if you say that on interviews, people think she did it all by herself and so I can understand why this double woman is mad. I would be mad too. So she should be mad b’cos this whole thing has been entirely about Natalie and no mention at all of a double at any point at all. So am f**king disappointed in a great film by all of them. i have been misled and that is not a happy feeling for a movie that won so much of my respect.
Patrick, take it easy this is not Avatar where you think Avatars actually exist on some distant planet and that when you die you would turn into a Nadi. This is Black Swam, what do you expect? Dancers in movies have always had doubles. Action films have always had doubles but you don’t always go out there tooting a horn that you did ot act in the movie. The movie is about the actor/ess and that’s what people want to see. So this shouldn’t break your heart, you haven’t been misled, you misled yourself. Really it’s not that serious that’s why I think she still deserves the Oscar.
I will keep saying that the girl is greedy. Why is she this greedy? Who cares if you did 10 percent or even 90 percent of the dancing. The fact is, Natalie still acted in the movie. So yes Cricket, I agree, Natalie deserves this Oscar no matter what.
I don’t think it’s that simple. So because white people used black people to build America, then the white people deserve to be the sole heirs of America? No! And a big No! Natalie used this girl to make one of the greatest movies I have seen in years. So does it make Natalie the cole beneficiary of all the accolades that go with the success? No! And a big No! This girl deserves a piece of the cake and that’s just all she asks for. If anything at all she deserves quite a chank of the of the whole thing. Recognition for somebody’s body of work is the least they could give her. So she can’t possibly be that greedy.
Kukrudu, that was pretty insighful!
I think the dancer deserve to be acknowledge. I am so tired of white people thinking that they can take whatever they want or that they are entitled to everything. Natalie was and is just an opportunist. She got pregnant for the money and fame and definitely will not admit she didnt do most of the dancing. It is almost like a Milly Vanilly
Sorry but she’s a stunt double for a reason. That’s her job and besides seeing her name in the credits at the end of the movie, that’s all the recognition she’s going to get. She knew what she was signing up for when she took the job. And now she wants to pull this little gimmick for some more attention? Um no. She’s annoying and I hope every other producer or director thinks twice about hiring this girl if she’s going to complain about getting recognition. Furthermore if she wants an Oscar, she should go try out for some movies.