WATCH: Natalie Portman’s Dance Double Speaks Out… Again

by Verena von Pfetten | 9:35 am, April 18th, 2011

If you thought the controversy surrounding Natalie Portman and her Black Swan dance double Sarah Lane had been put to rest when director Darren Aronofsky went through the movie frame by frame to establish the exact number of dance scenes each woman did, well, you were wrong. Lane spoke out on 20/20 Friday night, arguing that Aronofksy’s math was off and explaining why she chose to speak out in the first place.

Lane says she’s not trying to undermine Portman’s Academy Award for Best Actress — in fact, she thinks Portman deserved it. She says she’s just trying to stick up for the ballet world as a whole and to make sure people understand that the dancing that appears in Black Swan takes 22 years of professional dedication and natural talent — not just a year and a half of training.

“I have so much respect for this art form and the people who are able to do it beautifully,” she told the cameras. “I want to stand up for them.”

At this point, Lane can’t help but come across a bit disgruntled — Portman didn’t even thank her in her acceptance speech — but we do think she has a point. Portman’s acting talent and hard work on Black Swan shouldn’t be undermined by the idea that a professional dancer needed to dance the film’s most complicated performances. And having the studio say that Portman was able to do “80%” of the dance scenes does a disservice to ballet. As for that math, Lane says Aronofsky was counting shots of Portman in which you could only see her face — shots Lane thinks shouldn’t be considered “dance” shots.

For our part, we think this should just be put to rest. But we’d also like to make one thing clear — this isn’t a battle between Portman and Lane. It’s a battle between Lane and the studio-funded marketing machine behind Black Swan.

WATCH:

20:20 abc Natalie Portman Sarah Lane Video

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I’ll believe Natalie Portman is a ballet prodigy when she dances live in front of a YAGP Judges panel!
http://twitter.com/wavyJACKS jacqueline frances

The 20/20 interview says exactly what I’ve been trying to tell people for months: Dancing was a HUGE part of the “acting” in Black Swan. The male from Entertainment Weekly in the interview said that there were Oscar voters that wouldn’t have voted for Natalie if they had known the TRUE amount of dancing that she had done in the film. BRAVO SARAH LANE!
Rothjoshua88

However even though Natalie didn’t do much of the dancing, her acting skills were far SUPERB from the other Best Actress nominees.
Blaquemamba

I’d be surprised for at anyone who actually thought that a year of dancing and training = ballet dancer. I understand why she won’t let it go, but I also feel that the intelligent viewer already got the message. The movie studio is massaging the truth and doesn’t care about dancers.
Guest

Portman never claimed she was a prima ballerina and admitted to using a body double, she even mentioned her by name numerous times in interviews.

Lane should take this up with the producers instead of airing it out in public. I guess those stereotypes about the catty world of ballet isn’t much a stereotype after all.
Thor

Sarah Lane is soooo much more beautiful and attractive, and talented, than Nat Portman can ever hope to be.
Guest

LOL, joke?
Anonymous

Maybe this will help…..http://tinyurl.com/5rkyxys

And Thor, you’re an idiot!
CoCoLatte

Natalie thanked everybody but the person bringing her tea everyday. How could she forget the body double who was doing all the foot work? You CANNOT do pointe after 18 months of ballet lessons – not like Sarah Lane – it’s not possible. Brava to Natalie for her acting chops but give credit where credit is due. Just sayin’.

WATCH: Natalie Portman’s Dance Double Speaks Out… Again

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