'Black Swan' Dance Double Speaks Out

[@ROyler-rs6nh]

i mean did anyone actually think Natalie was doing all of the dancing en pointe?

[@majo77]

Ryler amen! Whoever thought that must be completely ignorant on the subject or blinded by the performance. I'm not saying I have any in-depth knowledge on ballet, but after seeing them in action, I can't help but feel that a person needs YEARS, not mere months, to get that level of control on their bodies!

[@maneliste]

Ryler I don't think anyone thought that, the media made it seem like that as if People are silly

[@ROyler-rs6nh]

***** she did the flapping around, basic moves, and close-ups, I hardly think they had her doing the long, difficult dancing (leaps, turns, etc) en pointe.

[@roove1537]

I'm sure there were people who were stupid enough to think so.

[@skh34]

R. Oyler one of my friend think natalie did all the dancing. She read an article about natalie learning a lil' bit of ballet for this movie (I think that article means she learned the basic position and hand movement) and apparently believe that ballet can be mastered in weeks. so yeah, some people are kinda foolish

[@SabrinaGasulla]

I get it. She's not trying to put down Natalie or take her Oscar away. She's protecting her livelihood by pointing out that it's not as easy as we were led to believe during Natalie's Oscar campaign.

[@corneliahanimann2173]

But that's what stunt doubles do! I get what she is saying, but this sounds more like attention seeking attached to the speech of not getting the recognition than the other way around.

[@nihilisticbarbie]

@@corneliahanimann2173 How would YOU feel if you committed your life to ballet, you worked your entire childhood, teenage years, and now adulthood that's dedicated it to ballet. That's all you do, you dance for seven or eight hours a day every single week. Your body suffers as a result. And then you have random people who have NO idea what it takes to be a ballerina, out here thinking you could be one in less than two years, when you've committed twenty years to it. Yeah. You'd be pissed too.

[@corneliahanimann2173]

@@nihilisticbarbie well I did 8 years of ballet btw. I don't see the point in your attitude when you're at the same time trying ro make me sympathise with her, I don't think I am not sympathetic towards her, but name more than one stuntman that got the credit they deserve for the stunt they die for an actor. Or maybe the ones that died doing that job to protect rhe more popular famous person. My point is that this is part of the job. I remember that back in the day nathalie took some balletclasses and I appreciate it because it would have been easy to just leave it all to the double, but she made an effort to understand the job of a ballerina and as far as I remember, she never pretended to be a suddenly skilled dancer, her team wanted that oscar. The dancer in this interview talks about the way dancers are underappreciated in the industry, and that's a decent point to male, but to menit sounds more like complaining over the lack of credit she personally recieved than some social justice movement for all dancers that deserve credit. She focuses a bit to much on herself instead of ballet or the industry.

[@debbylou5729]

She isn’t protecting her livelihood. She’s pointing out that Natalie is promoting herself as the dancer

[@BraunwynBlondel]

How is that “protecting” her livelihood? Was it somehow threatened? You clearly didn’t think this through 🤡

[@ambitiouslyahraea]

I think people are misinterpreting Sarah's point. She knew that she wouldn't get much credit for her role as a double, and she already got paid for this. The thing that bothers her is that people assumed that Natalie danced 90% of the film, and how people were acknowledging how Natalie became such an amazing ballerina just after a year when it degrades other ballet dancers who trained for 20+years. Natalie is a great dancer, she's been dancing for 6 years when she was a kid, however she doesn't deserve the recognition as an "outstanding ballerina" when she didn't go through half the training of an actual ballet dancer.

[@brucearmstrong708]

It reminds me of Winfree on giving away cars on her show. And, never mentioning that General Motors paid for the cars. Everyone thought Opra deserved credit. Same for many actors and people in the public eye. Forget my spelling. Never mentioning a big thing.

[@percianno]

The black swan dance scene was the best of the whole movie Natalie alone just couldn't've achievied. In fact, the whole movie couln't've been possible without Sarah.

[@sadem1045]

I hope Natalie Portman understands that Sarah was the one who deserved the portion of the award that was given to her because of the dancing. It's not okay that Natalie Portman appeared to choose to not mention her dance double. Hopefully, Natalie Portman knows that her double thinks she deserved the award when it comes to her acting. I'll finish by saying that they never mentioned Natalie Portman being pissy over the fact that her double stood up for herself. Perhaps that means something.

[@EdinburghMayhem]

Exactly.

[@susanbower1660]

@@sadem1045 WHO CARES WHO DOES THE STUNT? WHO CARES WHO DOES THE DANCING? THAT IS NOT WHY SOMEONE GOES TO SEE A MOVIE. A MOVIE IS A STORY. THE ACTORS/ACTRESSES HAVE ALWAYS HAD HELP IN THEIR STUNTS/DANCE MOVES ETC. ANY INTELLIGENT HUMAN BEING KNOWS THAT AN ACTOR WORTH MILLIONS IS NOT GOING TO RISK HIS OR HER SAFETY DOING A STUNT OR DIFFICULT DANCE WITH ASSISTANCE LIKE WIRES ETC. THAT'S JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN; UNLESS THE ACTOR IS THE PRODUCER OF THE MOVIE AND CAN MAKE THE FINAL DECISION ON WHO DOES THE STUNT. IF THE DANCER WANTS HER NAME IN LIGHTS, STAY ON THE DANCE STAGE AT THE BALLET, WHERE PEOPLE COME TO WATCH BALLET AND NOT A MOVIE. THIS RANT, OF COURSE, IS MY OPINION. THAT IS ALL......LOL

[@wynonaryder]

I think it's crazy Natalie thanked hair and makeup and everyone else but not the actual dancer! Wow!!

[@gizmoeve6705]

Jerry Lundegard she forgot

[@ailrova8388]

yea i think thats the worst part....

[@TCB_Aries]

@@gizmoeve6705 she forgot one of the most important people in her role?

[@ila2412]

She won the Oscar for her acting tho, not dancing, and in the part of featurette of the movie that you can find on KZbin Natalie talks about her super hard training (not being a ballerina). There was also an interview where she said she did about 5% of alle the ballet moves

[@ariehouston7209]

People win Oscars for acting. Not her fault that the dancing wasn’t what gave her the win.

[@Reeniepie]

It's not the fact that she didn't give the double praise. It's the fact that she didn't mention that she had one which lead people to believe that she'd done something extraordinary. The woman even said that she still thought Natalie deserved her Oscar as they are for acting not dancing and Natalie sis a superb job. It's just really disrespectful to the professional ballet dancers that put hours a day into the art form for someone to imply that they could do it all in a year and a half.

[@Reeniepie]

Did*

[@ginnylenore5335]

I completely agree, I couldn't have said it better myself.

[@megeldridge1745]

Most people are pretty stupid about what it takes to become a great dancer, athlete, musician, etc. It takes your whole life. The general public is stupid and thinks that people can just do something in a year. I am glad Sarah spoke up. It was pretty stupid for Natalie to not give her credit in her speech. Yuck

[@horsesuperstar101]

completely agree

[@kellyrocks15]

finally someone nails it! it's not that she gave praise it's the fact that she didn't even mention the stunt double. my cousin saw it in theatres and told me i wouldn't like it. i watched it a few years after it came out(my cousin doesn't know i love dance movies and ballet especially oh and horror movies) when i saw it i tho of Natalie's acting as well as dancing but i was like uh there's no way she could do that if she wasn't a dancer something is going on here.

[@Zzzk23]

Why is everyone hating on this girl? She said herself that Natalie deserved to win, but she just wanted some recognition after they completely lied and said that Natalie did 90% of her dancing when she only did half,

[@WildVee]

I know right? All these white knights thinking this is no big deal. I think it was pretty petty of Natalie to never mention the doubles name, and just stick with the lies. Ballet takes years to master, not just a couple of months.

[@evag1344]

Lost Soul No she doesn’t, she wanted recognition for her role. People thought that Natalie did everything, that she became a professional ballerina in a year. It is very offensive for Sarah

[@frauleinmona]

She didn't even do half. Natalie Portman only did about 5% of the dancing in the movie. And you can check that out. They digitally enhanced Natalie's face over Sarah's body in the film.

[@korykent5645]

She did not ask for recognition either though

[@evag1344]

Kory Kent Yes she did, recognition means identification of something, people claimed that Natalie did all of that ballet while it was actually Sarah, r. e. c. o. g. n. i. t. i. o. n

[@awfullyhotllama]

She's speaking out because the claim that Natalie danced 90% of the scenes is preposterous and diminishing to the skill of professional ballerinas and to the art that is ballet as a whole. It was a film that could have educated people about ballet, instead it did the exact opposite.

[@awfullyhotllama]

Oh no, you've completely misunderstood me. I never meant to insinuate that it was -- or should have been -- an educational documentary about ballet, that's not what the intended audience was there to see. I did however mean that people seem to lack respect for just how hard a ballet dancer works. To insinuate that Portman, though a lovely actress, did her dancing scenes herself with the miniscule amount of training she received -- compared to a professional ballet dancer -- is insulting and only serves into people's pre-existing prejudices.

[@pandyandmaddiecrafts44]

Yes!! She probably danced 20% at most

[@lynnechemeli4124]

.

[@citytrees1752]

It was a Hollywood movie, not a documentary aimed at educating people about dance. Want to educate people about dance? Make your own movie.

[@littlemissblackdress7587]

@@citytrees1752 Oh shut up!

[@elodie_camcorder]

She's so sweet and humble, it's disappointing that she wasn't given credit for a fantastic performance.

[@cocoaorange1]

I agree, she should have gotten credit. Natalie should have mentioned her.

[@Aqquila89]

@@cocoaorange1 She did mention her in several interviews. She said in a November 2010 interview: "there's a wonderful dancer, Sarah Lane, who did the more complicated pointe work. But I did the stuff that was possible to learn in a year."

[@ssalaam5536]

I knew there had to be a dance double. never once did I think Natalie did all that dancing herself and she should have given credit to miss Lane.

[@TaylorKnightCosplay]

They should've just hired Sarah for the whole movie

[@ssalaam5536]

agreed

[@motherofdragons9107]

+Anastasia Knight She is a dancer not an actress

[@amim4701]

She's a dancer not actress & I never thought she did 100% of the dancing. It wouldn't be possible. she should have thanked her in list of names she thanked.

[@brandonlim8755]

+Taylor Knight fortunately they didnt hired Sarah to be the role or else this movie wouldnt be famous LOL It is obvious to see this woman don't have anything of an actress or a star. She would be better to perform on stage rather than in a film

[@requiemforamerica8432]

When you actually see natalie's face when she is dancing she is stiff as a piece of wood... so it was obvious she had a body double... what's the surprise..?

[@TMIDiva]

I agree that the woman doing the work should have been acknowledged. But the whole movie industry is based on façade. Natalie probably spends a majority of her life focusing on acting and training for the roles she will take on. She was born with a beautiful face that a camera worships. I loved My Fair Lady and noticed that the singer of those excellent songs (the BIGGEST part of the movie) was barely mentioned. Marnie Nixon? Audrey Hepburn? Is it just? No. It is not. But it is all show business. Getting angry just makes you seem like you either didn't understand the situation, or decided afterwards that you were going to get even.

[@t.j.7789]

EXACTLY!!! I'm in a video on here and because there is a "book" people assume it's a real book not a PROP.

[@jk4351]

I was always suspicious of how actors boasting to have learned stuff that takes years to perfect in a few months just for a movie

[@feeshac1974]

Tbh im surprised she was that stiff after that much training

[@jenniferoakes5069]

@@TMIDiva just because it's based on facade, does that mean the professional ballet dancer should stand by watching Natalie take credit for all that dancing? I personally couldn't do it. Accepting my oscar, I'd be like: *"..and I want to thank my ballet double, "whatever her name is," without who, I wouldn't have looked as professional..."* and leave it there. Boom. But, when is life fair? The dancer spoke. Good on her. Natalie? I still love her as an actress. She will forever be Queen Amidala for me.

[@corneliaomir]

Oh wow, she is so sweet! She doesn't actually tells anything bad about Natalie. She's just trying to clear up that ballet is way harder than that, and as difficult to master as any art form.

[@AstriaICOW]

I agree. Although I don't think Natalie is really at fault and ppl shouldn't be basing her skill as an actor by emphasizing on her dance skills (after all, this movie isn't even about ballet), Lane is really gracious in this interview. And she's right, according to the editor majority of that is her (though she might've exaggerated a bit) and people shouldn't be THIS retarded to think that Ballet could be mastered in a year and a half. Simply do some basic research (professional ballet is all over youtube) and you should KNOW that it takes a lifetime, like any rigorous physical activity

[@AstriaICOW]

Stephie Riggsbee I'm sorry, the movie definitely is not a "metaphoric example of how demanding being a dancer is." You can watch, for example The Turning Point, THAT film is actually about how demanding being a dancer is (and real world-class ballerinas are cast). The movie Black Swan cannot be about how demanding being a dancer is if the message is that you have to explore your sexuality in order to dance a particular part correctly---that's bullshit; the perfection of character came from both talent and hard studying of the artistic context. And that's actually what the film is actually about--it's about the metaphysical part-playing that somehow turns you into that character itself---ending in a break from reality by living an alternative reality, the context is ballet but it didn't have to be ballet. Furthermore, the film interprets the black and white swan supposedly representing polar opposites in feminine traits--one is the innocent virgin and the other is the sexual seductress---which really is a abysmal interpretation. They've also stretched this way too far because the virgin was the ideal women that men DO want to fuck, so saying that she's not "fuckable" until she understand how to have good sex is also ridiculous. The black swan is someone who shows the prince the dark beauty, something that he has not touched and to just let him have a taste of it, it's not that so he finally feels like fucking her.

[@AstriaICOW]

Stephie Riggsbee by the way: "the movie brings light to the behind the scenes of the ballet industry and dance as a whole." There are several professional ballet dancers who have spoken out about the offensively inaccuracy of this movie. Including Sarah Lane. Look it up. Roberto Bolle, one of the most famous contemporary ballet dancers, criticized the movie by pointing out that dancers actually need to have very good mental health to succeed in the art, since it is both rigorous in both the physical and the mental

[@DFSLana1]

​@@AstriaICOWWhat she is saying is that not mentioning anything about her and not even thanking her at the Oscars, underestimate the hard work in Ballet. Everything is made to misguide people and thing that for 1 and a half years Portman perfected her Ballet skills so much that she was able to Dance the Black Swan, something the real Ballerinas do for more than 20-30 years, devoting their life to Ballet. She doesn't even walk as a Ballerina, not even manner as a Ballerina, terrible neck and back! Why they would call her warning to not tell that she is the real dancer in the film...scared from the truth?!

[@shelaghmckenna2667]

Lane was satisfied with the credit she received as a stunt double, and knew the movie was a drama with an actress as the star. What she minded was the claim that Portman did 90% of the dancing simply because she was in 90% of the dancing shots. If the movie had been about a tightrope walker, and 90% of the tightrope walking shots had been of the starring actress on a plank seen from the waist up, no one would claim that the actress had done 90% of the stunt work. Some people in the producer's PR office deserve to lose their jobs over this. It must have been very unpleasant for Portman as well as for Lane.

[@raul7193]

I watched the film a few days ago, it still sent chills down my spine just like it did in the movie theather the first time, even after knowing the truth about the dancing. Natalie deserves her oscar because her acting was amazing and made the movie what it was, but Sarah should have got a lot more recognition for her work as well.

[@christinakcover]

+Raúl Jara I completely agree! I just watched the film for the first time tonight, and like someone said above in the comments, the work of Sarah and Natalie together brings Nina to life!! I think it's beautiful how Natalie is able to shine light on the dangers of perfectionism through her superb acting, perhaps even advocating for the preservation of mental health in the high stress ballerina world. I really wish Sarah was at the Oscars and I wish Natalie went up with her hand in hand, because it's Sarah's skill that is the backbone of the dancing element, but I'm sure there was a lot of controversy. Either way, these debates further catapult Black Swan into notoriety :)

[@raul7193]

Christina Cover Exactly! I think both are amazing artists in their fields, Natalie's work accompanied by Sarah's skills, which are achieved after many years of training and sacrifice, fit perfectly in everything that made Nina an unforgettable character that plays with your mind in many ways. It would have been nice to see them both together at the oscars or in interviews, but unfortunately it wasn't their decision. However i thoroughly enjoyed every scene of this film. It is simply beautiful !

[@crollinsphoto]

How did you feel about the lesbian sex scenese?

[@VanillaSlash]

NO ONE CARES THAT THERE WAS A STUNT DOUBLE! People care that Portman lied and said she did all the stunts. The lie is the issue, not the presence of a stunt double.

[@nirmaleva]

exactly

[@fatsajak]

your point is spot on, but natalie herself said she had a double when she was doing press for the film, so it was more of a marketing gimmick on aronofsky & co's part, i think.

[@johnrodneyturner6750]

VanillaSlash but she never lied so where are you getting this information...

[@jojox9791]

So the majority of movies where the double never speaks up dont matter

[@claudiariedel5777]

Too much phony nonsense. lie to me(u r no ballerina,there are doubles .),no doubt about it!Lie and I'm no longer interested in what u do.No more Portland! lost interest.

[@1Skorpia]

Theres no way natalie could do those insanely difficult moves.

[@Disneyfamiglia]

skorpia g so glad I’m not the only person watching this now instead of five years ago 🤣 and agree! I feel like this undermines the art and physical difficulty of ballet itself to say Natalie learned it in a year. And ballet is notoriously under appreciated for its Olympic level athleticism.

[@valmacclinchy]

@@Disneyfamiglia yes, I know this..but you'd be surprised the ignorance of the general public. People not in the arts just don't know about ballet. And cgi wasn't as popular then as it is now..

[@tigereyes5]

So much unnecessary anger towards Sarah. If she wanted rich and fame then ballet would have been the last career she would have gone into. Yes she was a stunt double and they know what they are signing up for. But most of the time actors admit when they haven't done their own stunts. The issue here is that not only are the film producers and promoters trying to claim that Natalie Portman has done all of the technical dancing that is in fact possible to have achieved in 18 months (it takes years just to become mediocre) but they are using this as a basis for her to get an oscar. Her acting in the role was brilliant enough but I suppose that as it was a ballet themed movie they needed to play up her dancing to make it more impressive. Ballet can be a thankless career. They spend their lives training and facing competition and if they are lucky they get to dance in the corps. Those that do make the principal and soloist positions have short-lived careers as injuries and age creep up fast and then they retire as early as their late thirties. But they commit to it because they love it and thus I can imagine being equally as pissed if someone was being painted as having walked through an art form that you know takes a lifetime to develop.

[@bigred8432]

Movie stars sell movies, not doubles. It would be an idiotic lack of business sense to try and give equal credit to the doubles as to the names who are bringing in the audience. The dance double signed a contract, willingly and was paid for her role. She is also credited in the credits sequence. There was never a point the dance double was secret. It was talked about during promotion for the movie. What more does this woman want? During promotion of the film, should Natalie Portman mention her double at any given opportunity? There are making off featurettes for that, The stars job is to be the star and without Natalie Portman the double wouldn’t have got a pay cheque.

[@amarijackson9270]

tigereyes5 STUNT DOUBLE IS DIFFERENT THAN LITERALLY DANCING A WHOLE PART STUNT DOUBLES GET CREDIT SHE GOT ZERO

[@7nhlez]

@@bigred8432 and yet without the doubles, the movies would not sell. Especially dance movies like this. And a dance double in a movie where it's mostly dancing and all about the dancing, then they're not just a stunt double who comes in and does one move for 5 seconds. The dance double is there most if not all the time. That's why in purely dance movies like Step up and Centre Stage, they don't hire actors to do the dancing, they hire professional DANCERS because they know if they just hired actors they'd all need dance doubles doing all the moves for most of the movie.

[@homeiswonderland]

5:25 80% of dance shots were Natalie? Oh you mean those "dance shots" where she moves her arms a lot? Yeah, okay...

[@jollyjellybelly]

Lol

[@heliosho]

It is still impressive how Natalie Dances. She tooked classes for 1 year and payed She impressed the great Benjamin Millepied so much, that he married her. Ok maybe not only with her dancing, but learn some ballet in 1 year is still great.

[@homeiswonderland]

***** I dance, but no, I'm not a professional ballerina. However, I understand how much training professional ballerinas go through to get so good. But dancing, especially ballet, is more than just moving your arms. How many pirouettes did she do herself? How much pointe did she herself do in this movie? I don't consider moving your arms for nothing but close up/upper-body shots dancing. That being said, it seems like that's what lot of this movie was--close up/upper-body shots.

[@darwinchuck9542]

***** How ever difficult it might be foot work is far more demanding than arms, something anyone who danced ballet knows, hence a lot of arm shots and none of her actual feet. Her back is also not especially bendy, and so on. The only surprise is that people in fact thought natalie did the real ballet dancing which is for the body without many years of training and in that age impossible to do. Also Nathalie doesnt look particularly skilled in "trying to make her arms look beautiful" either, you probably havent seen much of the Swan lake ballet i guess.

[@aryul6961]

***** You'd be amazed how much easier it is when you're filmed doing it for a little while and only the best 10 second clips are used.

[@baotienduong]

honestly i can see why the double is mad, natalie never talked about a double, and many thought natalie did all the dancing, which is an insult to the ones who have trained all their life

[@mischabrown6336]

exactly. It's an insult to the ballerinas all around the world to say that Natalie can become one in just one year and achieve in a short amount of time what most of them train for in their entire lives. I think that's why Sarah spoke out. It may seem trivial to some people, but ballet is her life, so.... If she really wanted to fame she could've blown this story to bigger proportions.

[@AnnaZnna]

I guess all actors should now be expected to thank their stunt doubles, as they did the majority of the difficult work. She got paid to be a stunt double, not to take credit for her 45 secs of dance. Ugh. This is why people think ballet dancers are snobs.

[@sandinyourshoes4130]

AnnaZnna, that is correct. All too often many ballet dancers do come across as prima donnas. They should dance for the love of the craft.

[@jamescopeland1146]

@JJ M That wasn't actually the point though. A particular element of professional training is discipline, and because a handful of headlines back at the time were claiming that all of this work had been achieved in a mere 1 1/2 years of training, it sets a really bad precedent for the dance community. The whole purpose was just to correct what had previously been suggested and to make clear that the technical standard and execution of ballet in the movie takes many years to achieve. Think of it as if on one hand, an astronaut has landed on the moon while that would be passed off as being as simple as driving down the road to the local grocery store.

[@AbbieGirl46]

now the question is...who was Mila Kunis double?

[@bristyrahman8554]

Her moves weren't even great..those were mostly like modern contemporary.

[@marielgonzalez3183]

Her name is Maria Noel Ricceto another ballerina dancer from the American theater

[@marielgonzalez3183]

@@bristyrahman8554 the double for Mila is actually a professional ballerina and she won several awards around the world and one of them was the most prestigious award a ballerina could receive which is the “ Benois de la danse “

[@umbrellaganda1525]

@@marielgonzalez3183 ...and was she credited either?

[@judithleexD]

I never even thought it was all Natalie. No one can do 2 years of dancing and be at that level. Like any art it takes years and years to perfect

[@carolinetrisnawati4541]

How exactly can you use pointe in 1.5 years?? It took me 12 years before my FIRST pointe shoes and you expect me to believe natalie got one in 1.5 years? And doing that much pirouette? Unbelievable

[@mcelestem]

@Liaaa because nobody calls me that Coming back is not like starting from scratch: I'm coming back to ballet after a 10 year hiatus, and I've gotten back on pointe in 6 months: muscle memory is an actual thing.

[@ila2412]

Natalie did about 5% of the dance parts, she herself said that. Sarah did most of the job in that department

[@njones7093]

I never thought she did the dancing in the movie and anyone who thought that can't be very smart. There is no way that actress could get that good in only a year. The fact that they didn't give her credit sucks, Natalie at least should have said something.

[@mebaker16]

She was given credits

[@PolliitoAle]

...actors almost always have doubles? Daniel Radcliffe had a couple for some of the most risky scenes in Harry Potter and actually one of them got involved into a horrible accident in the making of the movie (I think one of the lights fell or something like that) and lost the ability to walk. I'm not really fact checking so idk how exact I'm being but I know it was something like that. And still, very few people know about him. Being a double is a hard, unthankful job, really. That being said, it was really shity to make a campaign around the fact that Natalie did most of the dancing when she obviously could never had. Ballet is hardcore as fuck, you can't just wing it.

[@summertime7651]

Ok yeah Radcliffe did have a double, but did he get recognition even though he is now paralyzed? No, so why should Lane get more recognition? It's not like anyone actually believed Portman did the dancing. For heaven's sake, you just proved my point. You don't even know the name of Daniel's double even though he's paralyzed now. Lane isn't paralyzed yet you probably know her name.

[@ariaalexandria3324]

Doubles are common, yes, but putting on your resume that you were a double for a huge movie like this can tremendously help your dancing career. It's not common for doubles to be expected to stay silent. We all expect doubles for action scenes, but when a big deal is made about an actress doing it all so that the person who did it can't get recognition, there's a problem.

[@summertime7651]

Aria Clements No one ever said Natalie did it all. They just talked about how many hours she worked and how dedicated she was. Even if it was highly insinuated that Natalie did all of it, it was only insinuated, therefore, they didn't make it a big deal. It's just speculation and inference, nothing that was making it seem like something of great importance.

[@PolliitoAle]

Team Xtreme still silly they insinuated it. Bu I still doubt they would cut the double's name from the credits, I'm not checking tho. Of course, very little people actually read the credits, but if it's still there I doubt she has a real case to be angry. Again, being a double is a thankless job, sorry girl.

[@summertime7651]

PolliitoAle The thing is that the only people that would insinuate that aren't very intelligent. See, they didn't flat out say that Natalie didn't dance all of it, but I still knew that she had a double. From my point of view, the average person would've known that there was a double dancing. Fuhrer, Margaret (April-May 2010). "Ballet All Over: Big Names in Black Swan". Pointe Magazine. Macfadden Performing Arts Media. Archived from the original on August 4, 2010. Retrieved April 16, 2010. I got this source that was published in 2010, the year the movie was released. So, I do think that Lane did get her recognition. I've been searching endlessly for the end credits scene of the movie, but I can't find it.

[@rachelmauricio9164]

always give credit where credit is due. there is enough light to shine on us all.

[@pooka994]

Of course Natalie Portman isnt doing consecutive pirouettes en pointe.. If Oscar voters couldn't figure that out, then they lack common sense. But she did a great job with the dancing she was able to do

[@nikkienova9440]

They know exactly what was going on they just didn't want to tell anybody if they're that stupid then they're morons

[@victoire614]

It's a bunch of old dudes with no clue about ballet. I think they were honestly duped.

[@WallflowerProphet]

Where's Kanye when you need him? Lmfao

[@TaylorKnightCosplay]

I know right?!

[@phoenixdavida8987]

😂😂😂

[@32446]

🤣🤣

[@evesapple]

I completely agree with her at 2.45- it does a disservice to all those people who have put in years- their life, to get to that kind of a level, to suggest that it is actually achievable in just over a year. It trivialises their work, dedication, and skill, and she is right to say so.

[@edithchin]

I'm a ballet dancer, I train a lot to get en pointe it takes many years to get the technical the artistry the strength to dance on your toes. It is really hard, dancers get blisters and callouses from dancing en pointe. When Natalie claimed she did most of the dancing it's an huge insult to the world of ballet, since everyone has trained many years just to get en pointe. The black and white swan pas de deux is very painful, you stay en pointe for very long, the impact on the pointe shoes and her toes while dancing the pas de deux it's painful even though she is a trained professional. She deserve credits, at least let people know she danced in it, instead of the producers saying most of it was Natalie, Natalie have credits to everyone but the dancer when the dancer deserve the most. I'm not saying Natalie does not deserve the Oscar, her acting skills is amazing, Sarah can't act like Natalie and Natalie can't dance like Sarah. Natalie and the producers should tell people the truth that she had a dance double from the start and not hide her. Sarah deserves the credits and Natalie deserves the oscars. I fully support Sarah and it was wrong to lie about Natalie's dancing since it is impossible to go en pointe in 1 year, you need at least 3 years of pre pointe for an adult and you can only go en pointe if you have the technical and strength. Sarah danced for 22 years, Natalie danced for maybe a little lesser than a year.

[@julijakeit]

Edith Chin I say natalie did not deserve the oscar. Bruce Lee, Jeckie Chan, Emmy Rossum, Gerard Butler, Nicole Kidman, Evan McGregor and many others would be insulted by this - for giving an actor an Oscar for the part they did not perform. It is a ballet movie not sci-fi movie of replaced head over real ballerina of whom we were not even told about. A petition of Oscar withdrawal must be signed! It is a shame we were fooled and how we let natalie get away with it.

[@splashproductions9340]

Edith Chin stfu

[@rednocksofficial]

Edith Chin I agree, even dancing in general is hard especially if you're not born with the talent. People say it's quite easy but it's not since you have to control almost all of your muscles and also train how to sharp your movements or when will you pause and stop. Natalie is a great actress but not so great in dancing, yes she did trained but not enough to earn the credit. I agree that Sarah needs to have the credit.

[@rednocksofficial]

Billy Ray Cyrus we won't shut up. As a dancer, we felt insulted that natalie only trained for a year and got all the credits that sarah worked hard on. so you stfu

[@rednocksofficial]

***** oh ok then. lol

[@tisbutascratch2045]

I don't think people understand how mentally and physically straining being a ballerina is. It's probably in the top 3 hardest sports there is. These girls have to be stick thin superhumanly flexible, stay in school and be an A+ student, have to deal with all the pain and stress of the dance and the coaches yelling at them and telling them to lose weight. On top of that, if the individual injures themselves or gets too old, they're just tossed out of the industry and the company just moves onto the next person. It's a gruelling sport and Natalie took way too much credit for what she did in the movie compared to Sarah Lane. Oh Hollywood... You never fail to disappoint.

[@danielladjo206]

+Ihaba S I agree with you!

[@PrettyLittleLiar4]

+FreedomWriter Ballet is not a sport, it's art

[@tisbutascratch2045]

Katarina Myers It's whatever you want it to be. In my opinion, it's both.

[@pawalmeida1700]

+Katarina Myers it's a sport concidered art.

[@jojo1234a]

It's important to keep the essence of ballet. The hardship and years it takes for a ballerina to dance to this level is immense. I am 27 and started ballet at 5. I still consider myself to have a lot to learn, I'm learning every day. But to claim to dance this well in such a short space of time? It's a slap in the face for those elite ballet dancers who dedicate almost all they have to provide the audience with a flawless performance.

[@mickymickymike4105]

I read that professional ballet dancers make somewhere around 30-35k a year. Why do they get paid so little? They train their whole lives, push their bodies to the brink of limitation, and have to be perfect and elegant while performing in front of an audience. You would think they would at least make 100k. I know people will say they are doing what they love but, damn, that's no money at all. You might as well work an office job and make like 50k or something. I would be pissed if I was a ballerina and people like Kim K makes millions while doing absolutely nothing!

[@AstriaICOW]

well, that's capitalism for you. How many people you know goes to ballet versus movies or watch TV shows? You can do the math

[@mickymickymike4105]

AstriaICOW That's because people are dumb and want be entertained by foolishness rather than grace, beauty, pose, and elegance!

[@mickymickymike4105]

*to

[@AstriaICOW]

well to each his/her own. You can't judge people on how they want to be entertained. I'm a ballet fan but most of my friends aren't because they don't see relevance of it in their life like a TV show would. People may be dumb but it's still the effect of capitalism

[@mickymickymike4105]

Dude! Just stfu! You didn't even answer my question right. My question is for serious people who are into ballet or are ballet dancers; not some troll trying to pick fights with people on the internet! I could care less about what other people are into. This is a ballet video and I put a comment on a video relevant to ballet. If you're not going to answer people's questions effectively then stop being a dumb-ass and don't comment. Go fuck yourself!!!

[@orange-gd4ky]

Oh for god sake! Of course everyone knew that she had a dance double! Of course every one knew that she didn't get that good at ballet in 1 year, it kinda goes without saying that a professional dancer needed to do a lot of the dancing, but the thing is that she was recognized as that dancer, so really, this is just to get attention.

[@edithchin]

No one can get en pointe so fast...I've been dancing for 10 years...still no pointe shoes. The minimum an adult can get en pointe is dancing 3years and technical and muscles must be strong

[@julijakeit]

whovian11 no, lots of oscar voters did not know and would have withdrawn their vote if they had known natalie had a double for dancing parts. Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler did not need singing doubles for The Phantom of the Opera and deserved all the praise they got for their performances. I know black swan is yesterday's news but it still annoys me how many people just roll over the fact that natalie is undeserving the oscar. Why then Wanessa Williams had to give away her Miss America crown for the naked pictures scandal that harmed her reputation in 1983 and this natalie can keep the oscar she did not win alone in 2010? had out judgement for credibility and roll model dropped significantly? sorry to sound so angry with you, i am not angry with you, whovian, i man angry with society's stupidity.

[@edithchin]

Same here

[@user-io4vw4rk5v]

Tuan Vu Well you're wrong about one thing. The dancing is not important to the story. The film is about so many things and really, ballet is not one of them; it is just a device to communicate other idea's. But yes. WTF producers.

[@Jonsushiyami]

whovian11 I wouldnt have known if I didnt see this. I forget how people use doubles sometime in movies. If they told me she learned this in a year I would probably believed them. Especially since I am not educated in the art of dance

[@julianazamorano9978]

I just want to tell you ,the oscar was for Best Actress not for ballet ballerina ,rigth?

[@katherineshimkus8990]

Right.

[@mchris65]

+Juliana Zamorano she makes that clear that the award was deserved.

[@TaylorKnightCosplay]

The dancing was part of the acting

[@urachyal]

+Juliana Zamorano so why did they lie about natalie's portion of the dancing in the film then?

[@julianazamorano9978]

urachyal they didn't lie, everybody knows that natalie is not a professional dancer they said that she had a double so what's the problem? In an accion movie they also have a double to do the risk scences and the risk is part of the acting ,or not?

[@emid5726]

I know this is an old interview and most of the comments are 2+years old but I’m so frustrated reading some of the comments I have to defend Sarah. She did not do this so she can get more credit than what was given to her. Listen to her very carefully. She explains it takes YEARS of training and extraordinarily talent to become a principal ballerina but the film maker portrayed that Natalie Portman was able to accomplish that in less than 18 months which is nothing but LIE. This is a huge insult to the art of ballet and people who love this art (dancer or not). So Sarah is here defending her beloved art. I can see how much she loves ballet. Thank you Sarah for speaking up.

[@ariehouston7209]

Emi D to reiterate what you said. Yeah this is years old drama now but imma disagree with you. If she wanted nothing more than to “defend her beloved art” she wouldn’t have done interviews with tabloid magazines. No one thought Natalie did all the dancing and if they did who needs em. But sorry. This girl getting interview titles like “The REAL Black Swan” and answering questions with that tone of voice? Yeah TOTALLY not looking for her 15 mins of fame...

[@Danijones4571]

Claiming Natalie did it was just for publicity, the ignorant think Natalie did it, any dancer knows it was Sarah. And yes claiming that someone who isn't a dancer did all that IS an insult to actual dancers.

[@verucasalt5511]

Rio Hemmings So... why am I not insulted? It's just a movie 😂😂😂

[@pippytlo]

Well i'm actually one of those ppl who thought that was natalie dancing the black swan at the end which is my favorite part. It would have been nice to give the dancer credit where it's due which is why she's speaking out now. I think both ladies are extremely talented and bravo to both of them. I'm not surprised that it was hidden though. The middle person is never acknowledged in all facets of life.

[@emme84]

I have complete respect for sara. Ballet is an incredibly difficult form of art and I think it is an insult to ballet to say that someone can become a dancer in the short time of natalie's training. Sara is not looking for credit for her work at all. She is not looking for fame. She is just trying to say that ballet and the people who have been training for many years cannot be put on the same level as an actress who has only been training for a very short time. Don't get me wrong, natalie completely deserves her oscar because her acting was sublime, but to say that she is an amazing dancer is quite hurtful. As a ballerina myself, I think it is quite unfair that my 21 years of training is being overshadowed by a few months of training by natalie. Sara is merely paying respect to her passion, ballet, and if I were in her position, i would think it is my duty as a part of the ballet world that I do the same thing.

[@marylizabetha]

So much respect lost. I mean, obviously there was a double, anyone who didn't think so really wasn't using their brain. But to cover it up like that? Shameful.

[@ariaalexandria3324]

People who didn't think so only didn't think so because Sarah was told to keep quiet about it so that they could claim Natalie did the dancing.

[@megandalessandro4290]

"I didn't do it to get famous" *does ABC interview*

[@katsuragikeima8809]

The whole concern wouldn't matter if she didn't bring it up on a well-known show (or network,idk).

[@rhodrifox]

Then she shouldn't have taken the job if she found it to be demeaning or exploitative. Yet she chose to participate and get paid to be a body double, no one forced her.

[@rachelamber4967]

Megan D'Alessandro this stuff happens in Hollywood all the time people just need to get over it.

[@vlogpipiatbingi5384]

"respect her art" my face... if the movie did not win something she probably will tell that she didn't do the dance 😂😂😂

[@JulesPorta]

Philip John Jorvina she already talked about it on an interview before natalie even won anything.

[@Anastashya]

If Natalie was a decent human being she would have given her dance double credit.

[@rachelduls1152]

Never ever has an actor or actress thanked a body double!!!.plz!! That is their job lol!! She won for best actress NOT dancing. Ugly girl is just jealous. She didnt have to do the job

[@mongercute8376]

@@rachelduls1152 the only ugly one is you

[@lunaamakura7683]

Rachel Duls do me a favor please Uhh go to hell And enjoy it thank you!

[@imanyasin563]

@@rachelduls1152 she thanked her makeup artist in her speech but it was her job to do makeup so that could make your point invalid and she not taking just about the speech but the fact they are not being truthful about the amount she danced in the movie.

[@Anastashya]

Rachel Duls You’re wrong. We opera singers always get credit if we sing for actors who are merely opening their mouths.

[@Orius25]

I was actually totally ignorant of the fact that Natalie had a body double. I know nothing about ballet and this movie was a favourite of mine because I thought, wow, Natalie must have trained really hard for this. Amazing! Now I will think twice about this movie. I was really shocked to see the quick portion where Sarah's face was edited and replaced with Natalie's. I didn't know technology was that good now. I already thought I was questioning everything but now I have to re-double my efforts in any high budget film. I'm the perfect example of why this kind of obfuscation works. The double should have been mentioned in the credits at least because I had no idea. AFAIK they put her under some obscure category in the movie credits. There was an obvious attempt here to not let the public know the truth because the image of hollywood actresses is that they are perfect like the Gods and can do anything. Give credit where credit is due.

[@manbearpig7521]

I'm pretty shocked Ms Portman didn't credit Sarah in accepting her oscar. That is so not classy.

[@0924brown]

Of Course, Natalie had a dance double! She's an actress, not a professional Ballerina. Natalie still probably would have won the Oscar if they were honest and said that it was Natalie and a double. But the deception looks bad for their reputations.

[@Orius25]

@@0924brown They obviously withheld the information for as long as possible to guarantee the Oscar win. Everyone says, "Natalie would've won anyway', but if they were so confident they would not have lied by omission. The whole thing is unethical and a black mark on the movie, in my opinion. I never looked at the movie the same way again after finding out about this scandal.

[@cjkshirasaya]

There's no possible way someone without ballet training could have managed to learn the pointe work shown in the movie. Professional ballerinas train rigorously for years to get en pointe, and after they get there, they train years to be able to do the movements en pointe that choreography requires. No one in their right mind would have expected Natalie Portman to manage to do all that in the short time she had to get ready for the movie. She did train hard in ballet to prepare for the role, but there was no way she'd be able to get to the level that pointe work and choreogrphy en pointe requires.

[@mothman69]

sarah absolutely deserved credit for her work that natalie recieved, its kind of insane that they tried to pass professional ballet work as natalies. but in turn they cant diminish the crazy hard work natalie put into looking like a dancer and intensive ballet she learned over that time which she evidently did an incredible job of.

[@crollinsphoto]

At least Sarah didnt have to do those lesbian sex scenes.

[@labanna__]

This is such a ridiculous story!! As a dancer, when I saw the film I could pick out instantaneously when a double was used, you could see it in the arms and every little detail. As far as "I have so much respect for this industry" or whatever her line was, any professional or trained dancer would be able to noticed immediately when a double was being used and when it was Natalie. Yes, the general public have no idea and would not be able to tell, but ripping into Natalie implying she did not deserve her award is incredibly petty. Natalie did not spend 20 years of her life training/preparing for pointe, for one role but she did do extensive training and accomplished a great deal in a short amount of time that is just as strenuous as a professional. Yes, her standard is not that of a pro, but her 5 hours of training, plus acting, plus other workouts like swimming 6 days a week shows serious commitment to her role, and it helped her give an even more convincing portrayal of her character which she acted very well. I believe she DID deserve her award as far as her acting performance was concerned, and I also think that this dancer is allowed to be annoyed, but it's hollywood! Of course you're not going to get as much credit! They are assholes and do what they need to do to make money and press. And that's sad, because ballet dancers often don't get anywhere near enough credit as they should. But I do believe it's petty to accuse this amazing actress undeserving when she clearly worked her ass off for this role.

[@sams517]

+Catalina Castillo she didn't even speak bad of Natalie though? Did you miss the part where she said she loves her acting and loved working with her? And she didn't know she wouldn't get credit from the get go, where did she say that? She would have obviously left if that was the case but she was probably promised she would be given credit and then they decided not to once the movie got more recognition for stuff like the oscar's

[@monicapetras8227]

+Sakina Sehgal um actually in this video at 1:45 she states she knew she wouldn't get credit and was okay with it, but once Natalie Portman was nominated for an Oscar for the role it suddenly bothered her.

[@sophielou2929]

labanna THANKYOU

[@1974Coconut]

problem was, that Academy didn't know it. It's not about what you knew. She got her Oscar from a scam and a lie.and STOLE somebody else's Oscar. She has more disgusting secrets in her life also, about her 1st child, who is a director's child, and not her fake gay husband's. Rachel Weisz had to break her engagement form Darren because of her. She was pregnant as well at the same time. Those kids are almost "twins". Same age, from different mother.SICK!

[@hopehall7211]

Coconut wtf does her personal life got to do with the movie and her getting a award? For fuck sakes it’s HOLLYWOOD. You really think they would give a academy award to a stunt double?! Rather it’s a ballerina or not? She never claim she did all the work so how and TF she lied and scam to get that award?!

[@FacheChanteDeux]

I took ballet for many years. I quit when I started dancing en pointe. I knew that I was never going to be professional so I didn't bother to keep going. I am no expert (Darren Aronofsky is definitely not), but I have dance experience, and I know how ballerinas should look when they perform. Natalie is a great actress but she is not a dancer. She is on the clunky, slow and not naturally graceful side. Plus her arm, shoulder and leg placements were off. She was very petite while shooting the film and that helped to create the illusion that her skills were far better than her true capabilities. What happened to Sara was wrong. She worked hard and she deserved recognition.

[@lauralarrabee7870]

I thought Natalie was clunky also and didn’t look fit. Sarah looks fit and strong. Natalie just looked emaciated

[@thunderheartwoman]

And that's what many people believe ballerinas to be: emaciated. This movie and the lie about the dancing only further promoted the very false idea that if you're just skinny enough, you can put on a pair of pointe shoes and miraculously be a ballerina. I have even seen some horrible cosplays based on this movie where girls who very obviously never had a single ballet class in their lives had put on real pointe shoes and even tried to stand on pointe in a very cringeworthy way. That's what those films achieve.

[@MANGOZITANGO]

lol ok so basically natalie portman trained for 18 months to be able to move her hands up and down and make possessed facial expressions like a ballet dancer. Bitch don't take credit for the dancing scenes when all you did was stare evil and flap your hands into the air. I feel sorry for the original ballerina who got NO CREDIT for her amazing dancing.

[@splashproductions9340]

Natalia S oh shut up

[@Stephaynator]

Billy Ray Cyrus Aw billy ray dont get your heart all achy breaky now

[@Jayjen35]

Natalia S Hell yeah she did. She had not seen the inside of a dance studio for over 15yrs and moving your arms up and down, walking, standing and even holding your head in place like an actual ballerina is extremely difficult. Which is why she needed that training, as well as learning something of what day to day life for a ballet dancer is like. And she didn't take credit for the dance scenes, the director and producers sold that line in the publicity campaign for the Oscars figuring it would give them a better shot. If you're gonna throw shit at least aim it in the right direction...

[@splashproductions9340]

Stephaynator hush up now

[@Jayjen35]

***** So who should have played the part? Were there any actresses around with the name recognition and body type needed who would have been better?

[@speteydog2260]

Natalie Portman did not do the actual dancing in the movie. Sara Lane did it. Portman may have waved her arms around, but she certainly did not do the fouttes turns, jumps, lifts, pirouttes and all of the other dancing!

[@Crisaidemendes]

Well, as a dancer it is very easy to recognise that it is NOT Natalie Portman dancing. She worked very hard and did a great job, she even deserve the oscar, but trying to sell to the world that she achieved that level of dancing in one year is offensive to the dance craft as Sarah said. Why do they have to lie about a dance double?

[@dacookoosnest]

Ffs. She DID NOT WIN the Oscar for ballet dancing. She won the oscar for her acting, Her emotion, her rawness and her bloody hard frigging work! Yes the dance doubler also worked very hard. But I'm sorry Natalie deserved to win the oscar regardless that she didn't do the big dance scenes. How can ANYONE expect a women who doesn't do ballet to put on a pair of pointe shoes and dance? You can't. It's not physically possible. And to the dance double.. Natalie might of mentioned you at the oscars if you weren't giving reports. You done your job you got paid for it, you said you didn't want it for the "fame" yet when your name isn't mentioned you pipe up. Natalie went method. Just like if you were playing a role of someone with cancer. You wouldn't actually go and get chemotherapy.

[@TaylorKnightCosplay]

The dancing was part of the acting

[@kaiathedawg]

+Anastasia Knight you can't say that. Did you even watch the movie? Her acting is amazing there regardless of the dance scenes

[@kevindonohue2912]

+Rachael Ferguson "How can ANYONE expect a women who doesn't do ballet to put on a pair of pointe shoes and dance?" With the Red Shoes, ANYTHING is possible! You will dance better than Karsavina! But once you put them on, you can NEVER take them off! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! OK, a totally silly comment, but I couldn't resist...

[@motherofdragons9107]

Agreed

[@karlalastname4944]

+Rachael Ferguson In my opinion Sarah was right to tell the truth. Even though you may know it is physically impossible to dance Swan Lake without proper training over decades, there are a lot of people around who don't have a glue about ballet, and they would have believed it was actually Natalie dancing if Sarah hadn't spoken up. And that IS deprecative of all the hard work and lifelong dedication, combined with innate physical suitability it takes to become a ballet dancer. Nevertheless, I was happy that they used a professional dancer instead of letting Natalie do the dancing scenes. I hate it when they do movies about dancers, musicians, conductors,… and let the actors pose for the artistic stuff. More often then not the "world-renowned conductor" does not know which beat he is on, the "grand violin virtuoso" has a very strange way of holding his instrument, and the "star prima ballerina" looks quite clumsy. That destroys the credibility of the characters, and since those movies are bound to find an audience with a lot of people interested in music or dance (and with professionals in the represented field) it is always unsatisfactory or even unintentionally comical for a lot of viewers. Last but not least, the Oscar of that year should have gone to Jennifer Lawrence anyway, who gave one of the most impressive and haunting acting performances I have seen in a long time. "Winter's Bone" was such a marvellous film, and that slightly silly Ballet Drama could not hold a candle to it with all its exaggerated melodrama around a rather thin story. (No offence to Natalie, who is an amazing actor.)

[@mylifeontheElist]

"I didn't do this to get fame or recognition" *speaks out after not getting recognition*

[@scarletsokolov5121]

preach

[@quinniebe9775]

I think she spoke out because Natalie was indirectly implying, that she could do all the hard work most people spend their entire life trying to achieve, in a year and a half. That is extremely disrespectful and deceitful to all dancers and the general public.

[@aternialaffsalot]

and so she should, she did most of the fucking work lol

[@marianafernandez7274]

I think she meant credit

[@marianafernandez7274]

Wouldn’t you get pissed off if someone else took credit for some of your work, I mean in her place it would kind of suck for me to think that people can think that it’s easy to do what she does and can be accomplished in less than a year, that said, I don’t think she meant to take away from Natalie’s acting, just to make sure people understand that this art form is to be respected, and not everyone can do it, it takes a certain something

[@anggipardede9424]

She won the oscar because of her acting, not just the dance. She was perfect in Black Swan.

[@Suddenly-appears]

No one is saying Natalie doesn't deserve the Oscar, get your point correct. The question is she claimed she did 80% of the dancing while in fact it was the dance double doing the majority of the job.

[@Belfastboi]

Don’t be ignorant now. If you take away the ballet there is a melodramatic performance at best. Give the dancer credit. She trained all her life for her art. You can’t learn ballet in 18 months?!!!

[@leoniesd]

I feel for this girl, and I'm so proud of her! As a dancer myself it really gets to me when people think dancing is so easy! I train from 8:30am until who knows when at night at least 5 days a week (usually more) and I've been perfecting my skill since I was 5 years old...

[@sophiam2822]

I only dance for 3 hours and 40 minutes

[@ayanoaishi8489]

Sarah isn’t trying to put anyone down or take away any Oscar’s! She’s just simply trying to get some credit because this is what she does for a living!

[@isitoveryet9525]

Bet this had a negative impact on her career. She signed up for the part, agreeing to the fact that she wouldn’t get recognition for being a double…..then after Natalie gets the Oscar, she went on an unsuccessful media campaign to get the credit. At the time, she received negative feedback, & pissing off a successful actor & an A list actress probably did her no favors at all.

[@CPoddy]

"And last but not least a very special thank you to Sarah Lane my dancing double who really did the dancing in this movie and made me look so good" I find it hard to believe but sure enough she didn't say it. Thank you for your contribution. You are such a beautiful dancer! Have a great career and continued success, Christian Poddy

[@heatheralfano1871]

Thank you for speaking your truth and looking out for other dancers, Sarah 💕

[@katieowlpower]

Natalie did a wonderful job, totally deserving the oscar, acting. Sarah totally deserves the credit for the dances. Natalie probably did a lot, but Sarah would have done the bulk of the work. My best friend is a ballet dancer, and I can speak from watching her, and listening to stories about productions and training, you cannot do what is shown in the film in a year in a half training. Natalie probably worked very hard and got a long way, and contributed a lot, but Sarah would have been the leader as far as the dances. Natalie definitely did a lot, even in the dancing. She would have needed to work hard and dance through the shots in order to sync up the face cgi onto the shots of Sarah. They would have had to been moving closely aligned. I want to say that I in no way want to belittle what Natalie did. But I am very inclined to believe Sarah's claim that she led the dancing.

[@gzescobar]

Sorry, but this movie wasn't about the dancing! Natalie killed without the fucking dancing scenes

[@queenb4480]

gustavo escobar you are 100% right. i dont belive that she did so much dancing. natalie is so talented and i dont know why would so much pepole lie. honestly tis girl looks so evil to me. i dont belive her.

[@agenttheater5]

People made it about the dancing. That's why it's an issue. Besides, if you've dedicated your life to something and then felt (whether it actually happened or if you just felt that it happened) that someone was saying "oh yeah, you can learn it in a year or two", wouldn't you feel a bit offended? She said she wasn't angry with Natalie Portman just with the backers and the producers and the publicists. She didn't even get credited as 'Natalie Portmanns Dance Double', just 'Lady in the Street' or something like that. Can you blame her for feeling pushed aside?

[@stass2933]

She took credit for someone else's work and her acting doesn't change that...

[@ThatGmoney]

That chick got paid 2k plus a buyout or royalties everyday. Seriously if that ballerina just shot herself in the foot if she wanted to work again with Hollywood. I understand the dance, but that's. An element to the movie. I say this is stupidity on her end. I get she loves her craft, but also know loving your craft earns less than what you were making on film. She wants to bite the hand that feeds her, go ahead. She did what most unsuccessful artists do. She got too emotional.

[@jessc8256]

Judging by your comment, you have never taken a ballet class. Just standing still in first position requires you to do about 20 different things at once.

[@WhiteCamry]

It's an old story. Marine Jehan danced for Jennifer Beals in "Flashdance."

[@VintageJournalJunkie]

I don't understand why this would question her qualification to win that Oscar. She may not have danced, but her ACTING was great.

[@katsuragikeima8809]

It might have been because people gave Portman credit mostly for the dance sequences which she didn't perform

[@wookimchee6024]

before you go on pointe, you have to have training for at least a few years.. how could Natalie go up on pointe in a year and a half?

[@PoisonTheOgres]

Most kids aren't old enough to go en pointe yet, so that's why they say that you have to train for years. You could go en pointe pretty soon, if you have a good and responsible teacher Obviously your ankles and other muscles need to be strong enough and you always need to be careful and know the limits, but for a film role you could wear pointe shoes for a little while pretty convincingly

[@rileighpedersen]

woo kimchee Natalie took training from Judy Greenhut when she was younger. I asked Judy about this because Judy is my teacher. Judy used to teach in NY when she was a rockette and broadway performer.

[@anatofind2830]

I have to say that the first time I watched the movie, I was also fooled into believing Natalie Portman danced the movie. I was amazed and in awe. Until i started taking ballet classes almost 2 years ago and saw the differences of real dancers and Ms. Portman. In term of dancing, even her jets at the barre is bad. She did an amazing job acting in the movie. I still love the movie, but truth is the film producers let people on into believing she did something almost super human. The movie would have had a lot more credibility if it had been honest.

[@AlexG-oo8kt]

Wtf? I don't do ballet and I never would've even imagined Natalie did all that dancing. HOWEVER. She spent a year and a half working on something that she's never done before. Something she's not exactly passionate about. She did it for her role, this proves how much she cares about her career and herself as a performer. Had she not cared at all, Sarah could have done all the dancing parts. If people were interested on the dancer they could have looked it up and Sarah's name would have popped up. Yes I think Sarah has a point, but how much credit should a double really get? It's like a stunt double. They are passionate about what they do but they don't mind when someone else's face get's put on there's because they KNOW WHAT THEY SIGNED UP FOR, and they get credit for it.

[@AlexG-oo8kt]

I'm not missing it, im saying shes taking it wayyyy to seriously. Does she think it takes a year to learn karate? Do stunts? there are so many things that are just like this, she knew what she signed up for. Any normal person would realize it takes so much dedication to be as good as natalie seemed to be in the movie. I think she expected her name to be everywhere on the poster, she expected to go to the events and get famous for it. Natalies job wasnt any easier, she trained for countless hours and nobody acknowledged her for that. I think her points stupid and she expected too much fame for being a frickin double

[@AlexG-oo8kt]

Ok. for you training 9 hours a day is COMPLETELY different than a normal person doing the same things.Can you imagine spending 9 hours a day training to be a marine or a professional swimmer? Don't say the dancers job was any harder than natalie's because it wasn't. Furthermore, your statement is no more accurate than mine. Who's to say she wasn't looking for fame? (Clearly my point is more valid as she stated several times "I didn't get enough credit etc etc.) If people actually gave a shit who was dancing, they would search up the dancer and HER name would pop up, NOT NATALIES. It's a movie! Not a broadway show, not a live performance. Sorry, but doubles aren't that important. Ex. The lucky one, Zac efron trained with marines to learn how to act, talk, and behave like one. The marines were GRATEFUL and PROUD of Zac, they weren't obnoxious like this girl over here complaining on how she did all the work instead of congratulating natalie on her dance skills.

[@AlexG-oo8kt]

You could care less what a marine does? I, along with everyone else whos not a dancer and couldn't tell what natalie did and what she did could care less what a dancer does. No one gives a shit who danced or not cmon. Get your facts straight, if you think being an actor is easy, go do it, it's not. Don't think a dancer is harder than any other job in the world because it really isn't. (PS. Swimmers do get judged on how they look) Again, get your facts straight. Btw, your opinion is bias af anyway because you think your some professional broad way dancer so.

[@AlexG-oo8kt]

not by the way their faces look, by how smoothly their bodies move smart ass.

[@AlexG-oo8kt]

looking pretty just has to do with the face? Since when?

[@daffo595]

Its disgusting how they don't credit the dance doubles enough. And some poeple are gullible enough to actually believe it. Its just like stunt doubles actually. They deserve as much credit and applause as the actors themselves.

[@Skitdora2010]

Daph Duck The stunt doubles can just go audition for real roles next time and have the stunt double work on their resume, if they want the fame. There are many people who work behind the scenes to make a movie happen, and they all deserve credit. That's why they are in the credits at the end of the movie. Stunt doubles do not do the same type of work as the actors and do not deserve the same kind of credit and applause. Neither do the dance doubles. It's the actors face and reputation on the line in a movie. A bad movie on the doubles resume can be hidden, a bad movie for the actor and the whole world knows.

[@bigred8432]

Movie stars sell movies, not doubles. It would be an idiotic lack of business sense to try and give equal credit to the doubles as to the names who are bringing in the audience. The dance double signed a contract, willingly and was paid for her role. She is also credited in the credits sequence. There was never a point the dance double was secret. It was talked about during promotion for the movie. What more does this woman want? During promotion of the film, should Natalie Portman mention her double at any given opportunity? There are making off featurettes for that, The stars job is to be the star and without Natalie Portman the double wouldn’t have got a pay cheque.

[@Mica_T]

Stunt doubles do as much as work as this ballerina, @nd don't they get much credit either. Why should she be any different?

[@umbrellaganda1525]

@@Mica_T Exactly! You got the point

[@mincriss1850]

They did

[@atomiclila7172]

A few summers after Black Swan debuted in theaters, I was given the opportunity of summer intensives with an American Ballet Theatre Master Teacher. On the fifth day, we kind of just sat down and talked for a while about ABT, and so of course he told us about being in Black Swan (he was a background dancer in a few scenes). Which meant he also shared stories of Sarah as Natalie's dance double. And so all of the dancers were all excited and like, "WOAH!" and eventually he told us some about these claims of Portman doing all of the dancing. It takes years and years before you can even just be 'Okay' at ballet, much less pointe work. The Oscar WAS for Portman's acting more than her dancing, yes, but Sarah did deserve credit for the heavy lifting.

[@amievil3697]

Why would anyone think an actress could dance like a professional ballet dancer?

[@agustinaagustina4195]

Apparently, a lot of ballet dancers expected her to be like a professional, forgetting what means to be an stunt double

[@libl2915]

I think when they promote the film, they claimed 90 percent was done by Natalie, which is not true

[@271207]

They should have given her credit, but Natalie Portman didn't win the oscar for 'her' dancing, so I don't agree with them implying that. If that was the case, than there is something wrong with the process by which voters choose their favorites (you shouldn't judge an actress on her dancing) and she would have deserved the oscar anyway.

[@katieowlpower]

definitely. Natalie should have the oscar for best "actress" in a lead role, not best dancer in a lead role! Though I do think that the oscars are not judged so well sometimes, and the claims of dancing being taken into account were probably somewhat valid.

[@purplesnozzberries]

If you call dancing spinning and moving your arms then yes Natalie Portman did a lot of dancing. All the pirouettes and moves that actual require technique which most people are accrediting Natalie Portman for achieving in a year and a half were all Lane. Anything that required actual talent and technique Natalie did not do. End of story.

[@Papin47]

Make it right Natalie, it's not too late. Thank you Sarah Lane for coming forward, and for your amazing performance!

[@mincriss1850]

Natalie thank her a lot 😂

[@OTDLD]

1:43 So she didn't do the movie for fame or recognition and yet she is speaking out now for what purpose exactly? It doesn't matter if Natalie's face was cgi-ed onto her body during the more advanced dancing scenes. She was hired as a body double that was her job.

[@stephanier3300]

5:04 there you go. You know what you signed up for kid, When Natalie wakes up at 4am to train, stretch, go to hair and makeup, act and dance for 12+ hours a days on set, she deserved the damn oscar. Keep in mind productions film a lot more than is needed so they may have filmed a lot more of Sarah's dancing, but maybe it didn't make it into the movie. You have the editor right here saying about 40% of the full body dancing shots are Natalie. (Then every close up is Natalie) To be able to do that in her 6 months of training is pretty damn impressive. Ballerinas: if all you want for your years and hours of hard work and dedication is credit and fame, don't go into the film industry as a dance double. If you're in it for the beauty of the art and you just want to make a really great performance, then you should do it. That's the outcome of this is a great performance. Instead of being appreciative of the opportunity and how many people got to see her dance that would normally care less, she whines about something she was hired for.....

[@llRoyalty]

who hurt you?

[@TianaSmith]

I can understand why Sarah is upset, but as a double you typically only get recognized in the credits. Body doubles, stunt doubles, dance doubles, etc. do not get credit outside of that. Sarah knew what she was signing up for. Get over it. Natalie got her award based on her acting not whether or not she could dance at a professional level after a year and a half. The fact that she trained for a year and a half speaks a lot.

[@acacia-bloom]

Part of the reason Portman got her award was because the producers conned the Academy into believing that NP had done all the difficult technical dancing when it actually should have been clear that that level of technicality simply cannot be achieved by someone who just trained for 18 months. It was not ONLY for her acting that she was awarded but for achieving something which is in fact beyond human possibility. Most people were taken for a ride- a false illusion was created - that is what Sarah is upset about. But then again that is what Hollywood is all about - so should Sarah really be surprised - I guess not.

[@Kristiekins2]

While I agree that she shouldn't be surprised about lack of credit, that's not the point. The point is that they lied and said that in a year and a half, Natalie was in absolute prima shape. And Sarah acknowledges her acting prowess and that she deserved to win, she just doesn't think they should have lied, as it does discredit the efforts that professional dancers make. Sarah doesn't care about the fame or credit; she just cares that they acknowledge that dance is not as easy as they make it sound.

[@TheNonMakeupGuru]

The reason Sarah is upset is because they tried to take away the credit to begin with.. The movie people were lying about how much dancing portman actually did. Thats why she spoke up

[@emhullum4120]

So...it seriously surprises people that Natalie Portman didn't just magically become a world class ballerina? DERP. Also, it looks super fake because the head doesn't match the body in some of the CGI face overs. This is not the first time this has happened...how do you think Zoe Saldana became a world class ballerina in Center Stage?

[@hahijary]

1."I didn't do this to get fame or recognition" THAT'S BULLSHIT! 2.Nobody would believe Portman danced like that (she literally do ballet for 5 months only,she won't be able to perform as well) 3.She got an Oscar cause of her acting not her dancing

[@ariaalexandria3324]

How you move your body is part of acting.

[@dogloverxox9125]

Gideon C.A. All of them r true but 1 is kind offensive but how is 2 offensive though?

[@vlogpipiatbingi5384]

1 is bullshit if this movie flopped, she will not even reveal this at all and im sure if it 😑

[@ashleyvasquez9536]

1 is true she said she didn't want fame and regconition but she did.

[@margaretoverton8736]

BRAVO for having the courage to tell the truth. I'm 100 per cent with you on this. It takes a lifetime to be a great dancer. Period. No discussion. Dancing is probably the very hardest of all art forms. One has to create one's instrument.

[@Ego-de4dt]

She's everything I would imagine a ballerina would be. Quiet. Skinny. Soft spoke. She's amazing. Her moves were seamless. Beautiful.

[@Russianbabii]

Natalie won for her acting, playing a role of a ballerina. She did not win for dancing..she won for her incredible acting!!!!! I think people forget that. Her award was not for best female dancer in a movie...it was for best ACTRESS! He acting was phenomenal!

[@caraspencer1424]

I feel for Sarah as its hard for me, also a ballet dancer, to believe that Natalie could dance that well after only dancing for a year and a half. The majority of the dancing in the movie is very advanced and its unlikely that Natalie would be able to dance like that. I think that Sarah is just trying to get credit and isn't trying to degrade Natalie. In fact, I feel that Sarah is degreased instead.

[@SuperS800]

Pish! Big deal! The main point of the movie was the acting, not the dancing. she was amazing in her acting! That's what she had won! I'm a ballet dancer and I know the hard work and sacrifice that goes into our art. This girl is just simply craving for attention. Towards the end of the interview she said she didn't really cared, so why speak? It's quite obvious Natalie didn't dance most of the dance scenes, just common sense really.

[@motherofdragons9107]

EXACTLY

[@ytandbonw]

+Karen Santos She said she doesn't care about the trouble she would get into for speaking up, not for the interview. and i think that amazing dancing is a very big part of the movie, not just the acting, so they should give Sarah more credit. she was only mentioned under 'stunts' along with some other people. she should be credited properly as 'nina stunt double'. if i was Sara i would be pissed off too.

[@kittykat248100]

+Karen Santos most people do not have common sense. reading many film critics praise natalie for her dancer transformation gives the illusion that she did more dancing that what was actually done. and there is definitely something indescribable, beautiful and magical that dance added to the film that should be respected

[@maya4009]

The dancing is a part of the acting, everything you do on the screen is part of your act...

[@itismetheonly]

She didn't say that she didn't care about the whole situation, but rather the possible repercussions

[@raaid22]

🤔... Sarah deserves credit but I don't think her lack of acknowledgement is any different than stunt doubles who work and don't get mentions. You hardly ever hear actors mention the stunt doubles for action scenes, or body doubles for nude scenes.

[@Andyyoureastar]

The producer calling her to tell her to stop sharing the truth until the Oscars is disgusting

[@youisastar3246]

What's even more disgusting is that the producers paired with ABC news to boost their dvd sales with this interview. I'm pretty sure Sarah Lane wasn't naive to this and received a good cut.

[@Hrnakshi]

She got the award for her acting, not for dancing. It wasn't a dance contest - they were film awards. I'm sure the double was paid for her contribution to the movie.

[@rebeccahoffman2901]

Thank you Sarah for speaking out. It says ALOT about your character and shows how Hollywood really is about body doubles!

[@pattybautista1606]

No one ever mentions their stunt doubles...never heard of that .lol that's why they get paid

[@minitwink16]

Not true

[@Womanwithblackdog]

Ridiculous. Sarah deserves credit. Natalie did what the movie backers told her to do and did not mention her dancer support. Anyone who knows anything about ballet knows that Portman didn't do any of the full body shots that involved dancing. It didn't matter to me at all. Her training still produced some very dancerly acting and that got her the oscar. It's an ACTING award. I really wish Ms. Portman had summoned the courage to do the right thing at the awards.

[@alainberlaty1394]

More than degrading it's insulting for the ballet community.

[@sapphiretaurus5141]

It’s a decade old movie..I think the world will survive.

[@aster_11]

Fr this has added to people not taking it srsly. I've literally had friends say to me "ballet is not difficult, Natalie learnt to dance at a high level withing a few months"

[@kenkwok5906]

Um... excuse me do you really think that the audience is stupid enough to think that 1 year of training can make Natalie a professional ballet dancer, if it's true than why are all those ballet dancers training everyday since they were a child to become a professional the reason why Natalie claims that she did most of the dancing is of course for the oscar, but this is what hollywood is like. i know it might be an insult to professional ballet dancers but this is what actors/ their company want to do in order to make themselves famous, which is depicted very clearly in the movie and to be honest i think even is natalie didn't do most of her dancing, she still worths an oscar cuz she's just like all the ballet dancer, she work hard and train hard be become a professional actor

[@mayavvv1160]

Honesty I understand her completely. Whether Natalie is a great dancer or not, she is still a great actress. It’s just outrageous how they would keep the real ballerina silent about who did the dancing and allow Natalie to take credit for it.

[@bergercookie]

The beautiful young ballerina should’ve had an agent to represent her. Her message is not to destroy or take away how brilliant Natalie’s performance was but to clarify that it’s not realistic to believe a person can execute dancing like the highest level of Prima Ballerina in a year and a half . It’s the misconception that detracts from how difficult it is to accomplish becoming a real ballerina . Natalie gave a tremendous performance and earned her Oscar.

[@a576823]

when my friend and I watched this, she said that Natalie trained and danced through all of this. and me being very oblivious to everything and not being on pointe or being more serious about other dance types besides ballet, I believed her. now it makes sense to me, since I've trained more in ballet.

[@moniquevamado]

I trained as a dancer from the age of 4 to 17 and pretty much what Sarah says around 2:34 is what I thought when I heard that Natalie Portman was alleged to have danced these scenes. For someone to pull off in a year and a half what it takes a professional years to perfect is pretty unbelievable, but for those who don't know how athletic ballet actually is, this may seem doable with enough dedication. I love Natalie and don't think she had much say in the matter, but it seems deceptive on the part of the filmmakers. I don't blame Sarah Lane for speaking out. No one knows how much blood, sweat and tears goes into ballet except those who have lived it. It is truly an art form like no other and I have huge respect for those who have the stamina and devotion to pull it off.

[@usagi18]

Well, I'm not a dancer, I'm not a movie expert, and before I watched the Movie I knew there was a double who did the most demanding dancing parts. On the other hand, it doesn't take to be a rocket scientist to know it did take some hard training from Natalie to do the dancing she did in the movie. Yet I loved her performance, and I personally think she deserved that Oscar. If you really thought Natalie Portman did most of the dancing, you have intellectual issues.

[@ursie1986]

The most cynical aspect of this whole thing is the production/casting team. It's like they started with Portman and Kunis and thought "how can we make them kiss?" If you're going to make a film about dancing: cast a dancer. Funnily enough acting is part of their job as well as pointe work. If, on the other hand, you're going to make a titillating psycho-drama, about two of the biggest sex symbols in hollywood making out with eachother, cast them as checkout girls rather than skilled professionals that can not be immitated.

[@rorolilred]

The type of acting that ballet dancers learn is very, very different from the type of acting needed for a film thriller/drama.

[@egw6659]

Yeah it was basically a frat boy wet dream lesbian kiss that wouldn't have been out of place in a Jude Apatow movie, dressed up to have some sort of artistic credibility because of Swan Lake and Tchaikovsky. Blergh. This is surely one of the most puerile, cynical oscar baiting films of all time.

[@صدفاللهخالقداد]

rorolilred

[@robindragirl]

shut up...Natalie Portman got the Oscar for more than just the dancing scenes. Plus, if she really didn't want fame, why would she ask for it now ?

[@brynh2714]

this was 5 years ago buddy

[@bellaj2651]

+Bryn Hags doesnt change anything

[@katsuragikeima8809]

Did you even listen to her explanation? She mainly focused on Natalie being known to dance so well even if she trained for only a year and a half, which is an understandable reason to why she would feel a bit offended considering that she trained for 22 years to achieve this.

[@rgarciaprl]

agree

[@ourfuntoys5702]

I'm agree. Because Natalie is the actress unless if Lane can act emotionally on the screen. She just want to speak to the crowd to knew about her then try to became famous. She deserves her Oscar's and please don't be aggressive for your opinions because Natalie is the actress.

[@Lily4444]

You get an Oscar for acting not dance

[@TOFKAS01]

But you get bad promotion if you screw people over.

[@pattimurphyrocks]

So does anyone believe Margot Robbie is a Olympic figure skater? She played one in I Tonia. Does anyone believe that Anna Joy Taylor is a Grand Master chess player? Give me a break. The problem is that the movie producers tried to perpetuate a falsehood about the movie because they wanted to increase the chances of Natalie getting the Oscar. That never should have happened. She deserved the Oscar regardless of how much dancing she did. It would have been gracious of her to acknowledge the ballerina who was her double.

[@michaelsanaghan7707]

That's just sad. Being a dancer and just seeing The Nutcracker last night this is just stupid. You can't become a professional dancer en pointe in a year and a half pointe takes a lifetime of training your feet and ankles

[@paulakaysmith9151]

I was wondering how Natalie Portman learned to dance like that in just a year? Give credit where credit is due. And yes, she still deserved the Oscar...

[@Lyn683]

natalie won the oscar for the acting, not the dancing. Her acting of an innocent girl turned crazy, into another creature, is what won her the oscar.

[@sanghamitradixit3555]

Um yeah that's why the Oscar was for Best Actress and not best dancer. i think people who believe that Natalie actually learned that much ballet so soon obviously don't know how hard ballet is and shouldn't really be taken seriously. that said, they should have definitely given her credit.

[@user-ir8mf7km6w]

THEY SHOULD OF GIVEN HER CREDIT. WHAT DONT YOU GET

[@AmericanRoads]

Yeah, yeah, because EVERY actors and actresses of action movies have always given credits to their stunt doubles in every interview and every thank-you speech. This "I am a ballet dancer who has not received my due credit, and therefore I am acting out" drama has turned to be more of a shameless jealousy. From what I see, it is actually Sarah Lane's "retaliation" who gives the ballet world a bad name.

[@msinformation91]

Actually, yes, the majority of actors and actresses do mention their doubles in not just speeches, but social media posts. Radcliffe's stunt double, who was paralyzed during a stunt, is one of his closest friends, and goes with him to premieres and what not. So this dancer had every right to speak up. She works hard and did and incredible job. She definitely deserved recognition.

[@yuuga109]

it's not the fact that natalie didn't thank sarah in "every" speech, it's that sarah wasn't mentioned ONCE. they wanted to keep sarah a secret from the public (and the academy), hence the call sarah got basically telling her to shut up. this isn't retaliation, this isn't jealousy. it's lying to the world. sarah spoke out against it because it's false and insulting to the entire ballet community as a whole by implying that someone can train for a year and a half and automatically become some renowned dancer when in reality natalie is just a normal person. i think she did deserve the oscar, i love natalie to death, but come on sarah deserved credit! i don't blame her at all for speaking about it. people need to be educated on how difficult ballet really is and you can't achieve that from a little training.

[@sherrydenny7158]

Well said. I am almost certain she was well paid.

[@whismerhilll]

@Lady Divine That's bullcrap; not everybody mentions body doubles and stunt doubles. You're generalising to give weight to your agrument.

[@sassialane]

It’s not even about credit. It’s about the fact that they said Natalie could dance on a professional level in only a year when the rest of us have been training for a lifetime to dance in the back of a corps line waiving roses.