Crossing the Blues

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Natalie Portman Thought She'd Die on 'Black Swan' Set


Pregnant Natalie Portman has opened up about the physical and emotional demands of playing a ballet dancer in "Black Swan", revealing she thought she may "die" during the intense training and filming.

The actress spent up to eight hours a day in dance rehearsals to make her portrayal of a ballerina believable -
and even dislocated a rib during the shoot. Petite Portman, who also shed 20 pounds (9.1 kilograms) for the role, admits she became so low while making the movie she felt near to death.

She tells Entertainment Weekly, "There were some nights that I thought I literally was going to die. It was the first time I understood how you could get so wrapped up in a role that it could sort of take you down."

But the movie did bring the actress double joy - she announced earlier this week she is engaged to and pregnant by choreographer fiance Benjamin Millepied, who she met while working on the film.