Posted 15 minutes agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret DownMila Kunis And Natalie Portman Recalled How Darren Aronofsky Tried To Turn Them Against Each Other While Making "Black Swan," And It Sounds Pretty Twisted"two less experienced actresses might have fallen for it."by Ellen DurneyBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink If you can believe it, it's nearly been 15 years since Black Swan came out. Now, celebrating the milestone in an interview with Vogue, the stars behind the classic have spilled some behind-the-scenes details. (C)Fox Searchlight/Courtesy Everett Collection For context, the 2010 movie stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a top ballerina who is preparing to play both the White Swan, Odette, and the Black Swan, Odile, in Swan Lake. As she struggles to tap into her darker side for Odile, Nina risks losing the part to another top ballet dancer named Lily, who is played by Mila Kunis. (C)Fox Searchlight/Courtesy Everett Collection The film got five Academy Award nominations and earned Natalie an Oscar for Best Actress in 2011. If you've seen it, you'll know Nina and Lily have a complicated rivalry in the film, and speaking to Vogue, director Darren Aronofsky recalled his attempts to bring some of that tension into the real world. (C)Fox Searchlight/Courtesy Everett Collection "I was trying to be a sneaky director and make them argue," he said, when asked about a claim that he "tried to pit Natalie and Mila against each other." "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." Mega / Getty Images, Frazer Harrison / Getty Images On X, Darren's quotes have received a bit of backlash, with people suggesting that his "manipulative" and "weird" scheme sought to undermine Natalie and Mila's skills as actors. "they should be equipped enough to create any necessary rivalry on screen," one user wrote. "there's no need for mind games behind the scenes when they are meant to ACT like there is drama or tension." Kevin Mazur / Getty Images "What a bizarrely cutesy sheen this language puts on 'I tried to gaslight the two women working for me into fighting cause I thought it would make my movie better and didn't care at all about their actual human psyches,'" someone else wrote, adding that "two less experienced actresses might have fallen for it." Despite this, Mila and Natalie's recollections of the situation indicate that there was no harm done, and that they both enjoyed working with Darren very much - despite his reputation as a "scary" and "intense" director. (C)Fox Searchlight/Courtesy Everett Collection "I remember being separated from Mila and that we weren't in the same space a lot when we weren't shooting," Natalie remembered. "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 fucking talented and I love her so much and I'm happy she's doing a great job!'" Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images "Black Swan was the first time I felt like I had a mind meld with a director, where each of us always knew exactly what to say," she continued. "Every time we talked it felt like he gave me a little key that unlocked a scene for me." Similarly, Mila knew better than to fall for the mind games. "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?'" she recalled. "I think that's how we figured out what Darren was up to, but it was all in good fun." Gilbert Flores / Getty Images "I remember doing press for Black Swan and every journalist wanted to know how scary Darren was: 'How intense was his set? How intense was he?'" Mila went on. "I would say, 'He's actually a really kind, lovely guy who took us to see Twilight one time because we had the day off.' And journalists were always so disappointed that he wasn't some tortured soul who treated us like garbage." At numerous points in the interview, Mila and Natalie highlight their close friendship, which dates back years before they even starred together in Black Swan. In fact, it was Natalie who first suggested Mila should be cast alongside her. Michael Caulfield / Getty Images And Darren really thought he could get these two to hate each other? Think again. I'd be intrigued to get your thoughts on this in the comments. You can read the full Vogue story here. Do you love all things TV and movies? Subscribe to the Screen Time newsletter to get your weekly dose of what to watch next and what everyone is flailing over from someone who watches everything! BuzzFeed