‘Not supposed to say': Mila Kunis recalls barely eating for role in Black Swan
'My prep was a lot of dancing and very little eating — which I know you're not supposed to say, but it's the truth,' the actor told Vogue in a joint interview with her co-star in the 2010 film, Natalie Portman.
'I drank a lot of broth and danced for 12 hours a day.'
Kunis, now 42, added that she and Portman — who played professional ballerinas — only expected to have three months to prepare for their dance intensive roles.
However, after producers lost some financing, the project 'got extended to six months while Darren (Aronofsky, the film's director) tried to find money.'
'It sucked for Darren, but Nat and I were so happy because we had three extra months to dance,' the That '70s Show star said.
Kunis — whose alter-ego character Lily is billed as the Black Swan — also shared some of the brutal physical effects of the ballet sequences.
'We would shoot those dancing scenes for hours, and I had bruises all over my ribs just from being lifted over and over again,' she recalled.
'I also dislocated my shoulder pretty early in the production and thought I was completely screwed, but Darren sent me to an acupuncturist and I somehow came out totally fine.'
Portman, who played lead Nina Sayers, said she learned a lot about the ballet industry throughout filming.
'One of the most surprising side effects of doing the physical training was that I ended up spending a year talking extensively to my trainer, who was a former New York City Ballet dancer and told me hours of stories that gave so much colour and insight into that world,' the Oscar winner said.
'It was like doing investigative journalism, but I was just gossiping with her while doing pliés.'
Kunis first spoke out about her dramatic 20-pound (10kg) weight loss for the film back in 2012. At the time, she told Harper's Bazaar that her physique 'has never been the same.'
'My shape is different,' the Ted star said. 'When I got down to 95 pounds (43kg), I was muscles, like a little brick house, but skin and bones. When I gained it back, it went to completely different areas.'
Kunis further explained that 'all the weight that left (her) chest went to (her) sides, hip, (her) stomach.'
When asked if she would take on another role that required her to lose weight, the Friends With Benefits star noted, 'I'm not going to say I'd look forward to it, but if an offer came along, I'd do it.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
10 hours ago
- Perth Now
Mila Kunis did 'very little eating' while making Black Swan
Mila Kunis barely ate when she was making Black Swan. The 42-year-old actress candidly admitted she had a gruelling diet and exercise regime when working to portray a professional ballerina in the 2010 movie, which was directed by Darren Aronofsky and also starred Natalie Portman. Mila told Vogue magazine: "My prep was a lot of dancing and very little eating — which I know you're not supposed to say, but it's the truth. I drank a lot of broth and danced for 12 hours a day. "We were only supposed to have three months of prep before filming started, but we lost some financing, so that got extended to six months while Darren tried to find money. "It sucked for Darren, but Nat and I were so happy because we had three extra months to dance." And the intense shoot also saw Mila sustain a number of injuries, including one which left her afraid she would have to leave the production. She said: "We would shoot those dancing scenes for hours, and I had bruises all over my ribs just from being lifted over and over again. "I also dislocated my shoulder pretty early in the production and thought I was completely screwed, but Darren sent me to an acupuncturist and I somehow came out totally fine." Although Darren tried to pit Natalie and Mila - who were friends before being cast - against one another during the shoot in a bid to aid their performances, the two actresses quickly realised his tactics. The director said: "My take is that I was trying to be a sneaky director and make them argue. Mila and Natalie both realised 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?" Natalie, 44, replied: "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****** talented and I love her so much and I'm happy she's doing a great job!' " Mila added: "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."
News.com.au
11 hours ago
- News.com.au
Britney Spears' ex-husband Sam Asghari savagely roasts Kevin Federline over new tell-all book
Britney Spears' ex-husband Sam Asghari took a vicious swipe at Kevin Federline over his upcoming tell-all book, calling the dad of six a 'professional father'. In a clip shared by TMZ on Saturday, a photographer asked the former personal trainer what he thought of Federline's upcoming book, which will 'detail his marriage with Britney.' 'Well, he was a professional father,' he replied while walking outside West Hollywood hotspot The Abbey on Saturday, cheekily adding that the memoir 'would be the first book that'll tell you how to be a professional father'. Federline — who was married to Spears, 43, from 2004 to 2007 — announced his upcoming memoir, You Thought You Knew, earlier this month. Per The Daily Mail, the former back-up dancer — who shares sons Sean Preston, 19, and Jayden James, 18, with Spears — wrote in a press release that the book will uncover personal details about their 'highly publicised marriage'. 'This book is extremely intimate and transparent,' Federline wrote in the release. 'I achieved my biggest dreams, dealt with crushing heartbreak and endured constant ridicule, all while becoming the father my children needed as they experienced non-stop emotional turbulence.' The book is set for release on October 21 in the US. Federline famously took custody of their sons after the marriage ended, and collected $US20,000 ($30,678) a month in child support from the pop princess until November 2024 — when both sons were past the age of 18. Following the ill-fated union, which saw Spears endure a highly publicised meltdown amid the end of her marriage, Federline went on to marry Victoria Prince, with whom he shares two daughters. He also shares two grown children with ex-girlfriend Shar Jackson. Spears was briefly married to childhood friend Jason Alexander in 2004, though the union was quickly annulled. Years after her split from Federline, she went on to date Asghari after filming her Slumber Party music video with him. In May 2022, following their 2021 engagement, the former couple endured a miscarriage. 'It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that we have lost our miracle baby early in the pregnancy,' they said in a joint statement at the time. 'This is a devastating time for any parent. Perhaps we should have waited to announce until we were further along. However we were overly excited to share the good news.' Spears went on to marry Asghari in a star-studded ceremony in June 2022, only to have it end in divorce in 2024. Asghari, 31, who is now dating Brooke Irvine, appears to have residual loyalty for his famous ex-wife. The Traitors personality told Page Six in January that he wishes his ex-wife 'the best,' despite their failed marriage. 'I think that the number one factor of a partner is to be there for one another, no matter what,' he added.
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- News.com.au
Meghan and Harry announce huge Netflix news
Hallmark doesn't sell a 'Congratulations - kinda' card but maybe they should start in case Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Montecito neighbours want to send them something. On Tuesday, the couple announced they have struck a new, lesser deal with Netflix, which is a far cry from their golden handcuffs, dumptruck-of-cash-kinda arrangement they snagged in 2020. Back then the value of their Netflix marriage was pegged at a reported USD$100 million ($153 million) but in its place, this time, they have secured what The Hollywood Reporter (THR) has called a 'downgraded' arrangement that will give the company a first-look at the Sussexes' projects. In further less sunny news, the New York Times broke the news this week of previously unreported 'tensions' between the couple and the billion-dollar company over their tell-all 2022 docu-series Harry & Meghan. Step back and things are not as they were in 2020. When the duke and duchess announced the news five years ago, the New York Times hailed it as a 'megawatt' deal; now it says that the streamer is 'loosening its ties' with the couple and suggested that they 'may not have met expectations.' Back then the Sussexes proclaimed that 'Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope'. They were a unit, a twofer, co-producers, co-stars, and an indivisible package. This time, per THR, the upbeat statement came only from the duchess, with her referring to 'My husband and I' and saying 'We're proud to extend our partnership'. Looking ahead, while Meghan's TV plate looks laddled-on bulging, Harry's appears to have only far slimmer pickings. On the upcoming slate for the Sussexes: Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within, a short documentary that both will produce about orphans in Uganda; a second season and a Christmas special of With Love, Meghan; and their adaptation of the book Meet Me At The Lake, which they have been working on for two years now. There is no director or stars attached (or even quietly mooted) and it has not been revealed if there is even a script. In all this, what is really in here for Harry? Masaka Kids sounds right up in his wheelhouse but it's a co-pro with Meghan and not feature length. And of Lake, it's hard to see a weepy romance as a natural fit for the two-tours-on-the-Afghanistan-front-line Duke of Sussex. The day after the Sussexes' new Netflix deal was revealed, the trailer for the second season of WIth Love dropped. Unlike the first season, there is no glimpse of a doting, proud Harry. (And in all fairness to the Sussexes, the reality is that Netflix has long abandoned those plump $100 million, padded deals of yore and Harry and Meghan now fall into the same basket as the Obamas and their friend Tyler Perry who also have first look deals with the platform.) Unlike back in 2020, now, the duke and duchess appear to have two-track careers. While over the last six months, Meghan set out her commercial stall with her As Ever line, putting flower sprinkles on the cultural map and generating more headlines about jam than it has enjoyed since it was invented in 6th century Sasanian Persia, Harry seems professionally adrift. He increasingly looks like a prince without a portfolio and as far has been announced, has no solo projects to his very grand name. How different a reality is this to the way the future looked for the Sussexes in 2020. Back then, when the news came they were getting into bed with Netflix, it seemed like a surefire success in the making: They could make some largely inoffensive viewing about elephants or melting glaciers and the entertainment giant could brag about having the world's most famous couple on their books. The couple's biggest success has been their pound-of-flesh, six-parter Harry & Meghan, which set records and left Buckingham Palace sorts quailing from behind a chintzy sofa. However this week revealed that Harry & Meghan was not the unabashed win it outwardly appeared, with the New York Times reporting that there had 'been tensions between Netflix and Archewell' around the project. 'The streaming giant found out about the release date of Harry's memoir Spare just a few months before the documentary series about the couple was set to debut,' the Times revealed. 'That upset some Netflix executives because the book covered some of the same ground as the series, undercutting the exclusive nature of the show.' However since then, independently, while Meghan has found her niche with With Love, Harry's forays (Heart of Invictus and Polo) have proven about as successful as his ability to keep his trousers on in Las Vegas. Widen the lens further and while the duchess stretches her entrepreneurial legs and hits her stride, having launched herself back onto Instagram (@Meghan has 4.1 million followers), releasing a new podcast (Confessions of a Female Founder) and setting up a ShopMy account to monetise her incredible style, the duke seems to have struggled to find any sort of groove. He never managed to get a podcast across the line with Spotify during the couple's two and a half year contract; his TV projects have been ratings turkeys; and in March he resigned from his own charity Sentebale along with the co-founder and trustees after a bitter falling out with the chair. Last week the UK's charity commission issued a report that 'criticised all parties to the dispute', including the duke. (The report cleared him of bullying allegations.) The father-of-two is reportedly 'utterly devastated' over the situation and he is considering setting up a new charity. He certainly appears to have the time. Outside of his mainstay charity biggie the Invictus Games, the Duke of Sussex now appears to be at sea. With no individual TV projects of his own and having cut ties with Sentebale, where does he go from here? Meghan's path now seems set - more of With Love and her plinking flowers on plates and trying to teach the world how to use crimping shears and make chutney and more selling out of her As Ever wine and jam. By contrast, Harry, despite his charm, energy and drive to do good, seems to be stuck in the work wilderness. At least, should his father King Charles ever extend even a spindly sapling of an olive branch, his calendar should be clear that week's announcement has truly set off those in the bitterly opposing Sussex factions. Supporters have been gleefully heralding the news on social media with all the gusto of Vatican bell-ringers catching sight of the second coming; detractors have been doing plenty of unseemly crowing about the reduced nature of it all.
