Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky tried – and failed – to make Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis hate each other

Directors can play some truly demented mind games with their cast to get the best performance possible. This might especially be true when it comes to the dynamic between the stars. And while Darren Aronofsky was no Hitchcock about it, he did try to concoct a rift between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis when making 2010’s Black Swan.

The trio recently sat down with Vogue to mark Black Swan’s 15th anniversary, where the topic of Aronofsky’s tension-generating methods was brought up. As the director recalled, “My take is that I was trying to be a sneaky director and make them argue. Mila and Natalie both realized very quickly what I was doing and made fun of me, so it quickly became a joke that we all understood. They’re both very clever and were instantly privy to whatever trick I was playing. Do you guys remember it differently?”

Portman – who played her Black Swan role to a Best Actress Oscar – responded, “I remember being separated from Mila and that we weren’t in the same space a lot when we weren’t shooting. Darren made some comment early on, like, “Ya know, Nat, Mila’s dancing so well.” And I was like, “Of course she is! She’s so f*cking talented and I love her so much and I’m happy she’s doing a great job!””

Kunis – who many of us can probably agree was snubbed of her own Oscar nomination, having landed nods with the Golden Globes, SAG and more – also wasn’t falling for Aronofsky’s tricks on the set of Black Swan. “Darren would tell me, “Nat is working really, really hard. She’s not even taking Saturdays and Sundays off.” Then I would text Nat and she’d be like, “…No, I’m not?” I think that’s how we figured out what Darren was up to, but it was all in good fun.”

Black Swan would end up being nominated for five Academy Awards; in addition to its sole win courtesy of Natalie Portman, it was up for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Director, and Best Picture, making it one of a handful of horror movies ever nominated in that category.

What are your thoughts on Black Swan 15 years after its release?

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