Natalie Portman has opened up about working alongside Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis and filming sex scenes with stars.
The 44-year-old actress starred alongside Kutcher, 47, in No Strings Attached (2011), a comedy about two friends trying to keep things casual while becoming romantically entangled.
Later that same year, Kutcher's wife, Kunis, featured in Friends with Benefits with Justin Timberlake, a film with a nearly identical premise, as it's about the two leads trying to keep their connection strictly physical, only to fall for each other in the end.
Both films featured an ensemble cast, including notable names like Kevin Kline, Mindy Kaling, and Greta Gerwig in No Strings Attached, and Patricia Clarkson and Woody Harrelson in Friends with Benefits.
Back in 2022, Kutcher joked with Portman about the uncanny coincidence of both he and Kunis making virtually the same film in the same year.
"I think the first time we really started hanging out is when we shot No Strings Attached," the That's 70s star said in an episode of his Peloton fitness series, Our Future Selves. "Which is weird because my wife was shooting basically the same movie, called Friends with Benefits."
Portman, who had previously starred alongside Kunis in Black Swan (2010), responded with a laugh: “Yes, and Mila and I had just shot Black Swan together right before. So we were all making out with each other!”
Portman Reflects on Her Past Kisses
The Oscar-winning actress has also spoken in the past about her on-screen chemistry with both Kunis and Kutcher.
During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen in 2018, Portman was asked to weigh in on who was the better kisser between Kutcher and Kunis. With a smile, she responded, “I've kissed them both, yeah,” before admitting that Kunis is "obviously" the better kisser.
That same year, Kunis reflected on the parallel films during an interview on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, where she detailed how her real-life romance with Kutcher began.
"We did a movie called Friends With Benefits," Kunis recalled, explaining that, as they worked on the film, she and Kutcher agreed to keep their relationship casual. "We were just like, 'Let's just hook up. Let's have fun. We're both single. We both trust each other. Everything's great.'"
However, Kunis soon realized she had developed real feelings for him: "I was like, you know what, I actually care about you. I don’t want to mess anything up, so I’m just going to walk away before it becomes too much." To her surprise, Kutcher responded by showing up at her house the next day and telling her, “Move in with me,” to which Kunis replied, “Okay.”
The Black Swan Sex Scene
Beyond their competing comedies, Portman and Kunis also share a significant bond through their collaboration in Black Swan, the psychological thriller that earned the Israeli-American star an Academy Award.
One of the most talked-about aspects of the film was the steamy sex scene between the actresses, which the Closer star recalled as "the only scene that was quite hard to shoot."
"I learned that it’s fun to work with your friend until you have to film a sex scene with them," Portman confessed during an interview with Vogue.
She admitted that both she and Kunis were nervous before shooting the scene, recalling, "We were both standing in the room like [heavy, nervous breathing] until Darren [Aronofsky] yelled action, and we just went for it." Despite the anxiety surrounding the moment, the director kept his word and only filmed the scene once.
Kunis, on the other hand, had a lighter take on the experience. "To tell you the truth, I completely forgot about that scene," she laughed, recalling that she had blocked it out of her memory, per Yahoo.
Black Swan also marked a pivotal moment in Portman’s personal life, as it was on set that she met her future husband, Benjamin Millepied, a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet.
The couple married in 2012 and welcomed two children, Aleph and Amalia. However, in March 2024, the pair announced their divorce.