Darren Aronofsky's Feud-Fueled Strategy: How Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman Outsmarted Him
The Darkest Secrets of Black Swan: Director Darren Aronofsky's Shocking Admission Revealed
Fifteen years have passed since the release of Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller, Black Swan, which earned a whopping $329.4 million worldwide on a budget of just $13 million. But what many fans didn't know was that the film's director was playing a sly game with his two lead actresses, Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman, trying to stoke a cutthroat rivalry between them.
In an exclusive interview with Vogue, Aronofsky, 56, spilled the tea on his tactics, admitting that he deliberately tried to make his stars argue. "My take is that I was trying to be a sneaky director and make them argue," he revealed. But it seems his plan didn't quite work out as expected.
Kunis, 38, recalled being told by Aronofsky about Portman's alleged intense work ethic. "He'd say things like, 'Nat is working really, really hard. She's not even taking Saturdays and Sundays off,'" Kunis revealed. But in a shocking twist, Portman would often respond to Kunis' texts with a resounding "No, I'm not!" This back-and-forth between the two actresses was, as it turned out, Aronofsky's clever attempt to get them to butt heads.
But despite his efforts to create tension, both Portman and Kunis have spoken highly of their time working with Aronofsky on set. "Black Swan was the first time I felt like I had a mind meld with a director, where each of us always knew exactly what to say," Portman gushed. Kunis added that Aronofsky was actually a "really kind, lovely guy" who took them out for a fun day off to see Twilight.
However, it seems that the film's intense and dark subject matter took its toll on the cast and crew. Aronofsky has a reputation for being an uncompromising perfectionist, known for pushing his actors to their limits. But in this case, it appears he was just playing a clever game to get the performances he wanted.
The results of his tactics were certainly worth it – Black Swan received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Portman's critically acclaimed performance as Nina Sayers. And while Aronofsky has been nominated for numerous awards throughout his career, including an Oscar, Golden Globe, and Primetime Emmy, he remains tight-lipped about his methods.
It seems that Aronofsky's attempts to stoke a rivalry between Kunis and Portman were all in good fun – but the question remains: did it really work? Was their on-screen tension genuine, or was it just a clever ruse to get the performances of a lifetime?
Whatever the case may be, one thing is certain: Black Swan remains one of the most iconic films of our time, and its dark secrets are finally out. As Kunis quipped, "Journalists were always so disappointed that he wasn't some tortured soul who treated us like garbage." But it seems Aronofsky's secret was safe all along – until now.
TheScholarlyNote.com
In this exclusive interview with thescholarlynote.com, we take a closer look at the making of Black Swan and what really went on behind the scenes. From Aronofsky's sneaky tactics to the actresses' reactions, it's clear that the film's success was due in part to the complex web of relationships between its cast and crew.
So, did Aronofsky succeed in creating a cutthroat rivalry between Kunis and Portman? Or was it all just an act? One thing is for sure – their performances in Black Swan remain some of the most memorable of our time.