Natalie Portman’s turn as tortured ballerina Nina Sayers in Darren Aronofsky’s taut 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan is rightly hailed as one of the greatest female on-screen performances of the 2010s.
Portman rightfully received a ton of critical acclaim for her turn in Black Swan, set in the company of the New York Ballet as they prepare for a production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
Portman plays ambitious ballerina Nina, who covets the lead role, the dual characters of the innocent White Swan and duplicitous, sensual Black Swan.
She comes up against competition in the form of Mila Kunis’s Lily, but slowly starts to lose her grip on reality as the pressure sets in.
Natalie Portman’s intense preparation for her Oscar-winning role in Black Swan
The role of Nina required total dedication from Portman, who truly gave herself to the process in the best way possible.
She stuck to a strict diet of almonds and carrots whilst preparing to shoot Black Swan, but perhaps the most intense preparation was learning how to dance like a prima ballerina.
Ballet is, famously, one of the most physically punishing forms of dance.
Portman trained for eight hours a day, seven days a week, pushing her body through both intense ballet training as well as miles-long swims and cross-training to achieve the physicality of a professional dancer.
It was reported that, during the training for Black Swan, the actress shed a significant amount of weight.
Former New York City Ballet dancer Mary Helen Bowers oversaw Portman’s training for Black Swan, and told Shape Magazine following the film’s release that Portman had to endure ‘extreme pain’ for her art.
She explained: "You don’t drink, you don’t go out with your friends, you don’t have much food, and you are constantly putting your body through explain.
"[The training helped Portman understand] the self-flagellation of a ballet dancer.
"The physical discipline of it really helped for the emotional side of [Nina]."
How Natalie Portman’s intense training for Black Swan helped her win her first Oscar
You can definitely say that Portman’s hard work paid off, though.
Following Black Swan’s release, she received widespread critical acclaim for her turn as Nina.
Her much-publicised dedication to the role saw her emerge as the front-runner for the Best Actress Oscar in 2011.
Despite hot competition from Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Annette Benning (The Kids Are Alright), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) and Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine), Portman went on to win her first Oscar in 2011 for Black Swan.
She had previously received and nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2004 for Closer, her most recent nod came in 2017 for Best Actress with the biopic Jackie, where she played Jackie Kennedy.