The Black Swan went on to become one of the most acclaimed films in Natalie Portman's filmography. And although it is one of her jobs that she feels most proud of, it is also one of the ones that caused her the most concern.
Throughout her extensive career, Natalie Portman has managed to prove time and time again how talented she is. And in 2010 she made it more than clear after winning the Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of Nina Sayers in The Black Swan, the acclaimed psychological thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky.
The story follows Nina, a shy but talented ballet dancer. One day, the opportunity to star in Swan Lake presents itself, but the sudden arrival of Lily, a new dancer, puts her position in jeopardy. In this way, a strong rivalry begins to form between the young women, with Nina plunging more and more into madness.
The film was highly applauded, from the direction to the choreography, but above all, it was the performances that received all the applause. To prepare for their roles, both Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis had to undergo intense diets and workouts that, as they put it, "made them miserable."
There is no doubt that the one who had the most pressure was Natalie Portman, who had to do all kinds of scenes for the film. And there was one scene in particular that had her very worried. It was the final scene of the film, which, as many will remember, leaves an open ending and has been the subject of debate ever since.
In the final scene of the film, Nina finds herself unable to distinguish reality from fantasy, so during the performance of Swan Lake, she has a heated fight with Lily (Kunis), whom she apparently stabs in the middle of the movie. stomach. However, shortly after, it is revealed that the fight never happened and that Nina stabbed herself. Then, during the final dance, Nina's stomach and white outfit begin to be stained with blood, hinting that her injuries have worsened.
Finally, at the end of the play, Nina does from her and everyone runs to congratulate her. But when they realize that she is bleeding, Thomas, the director, rushes for help to save her. At that moment, Nina uttered the following words: “I felt it. Perfect. It was perfect” and then a white light flooded the screen, declaring the end of the film.
The truth is that the scene where Nina begins to bleed had Natalie Portman very worried, and the actress believed that the public would be confused when they saw the blood and would think that her character was having her period or something for that matter. style.
Darren Aronofsky assured Portman that this was intentional, as his idea was to show that Nina eventually became a woman. This has led the interpreter to argue that in reality, Nina does not die at the end, but only symbolizes that Nina must kill her inner child to become a woman.
Even so, fans do not stop theorizing about it, and there are all kinds of explanations and ideas about the end of The Black Swan. While some are convinced that Nina dies at the end, others argue that the white light at the end symbolizes the union between Nina and the White Swan and that they are now one.
Whatever the true meaning, Natalie Portman's worries managed to melt away and the actress was able to give one of the best performances of her career. On the other hand, The Black Swan became one of the most acclaimed films of recent years, both for its captivating plot and for its approach to mental health.
