If you are a filmmaker worth your salt, you strive to do extensive research on a subject you wish to depict on film. For “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofksy needed to learn as much as he could about the world of ballet, its peculiarities, and the personalities that exist within it. He could not just rely on Natalie Portman’s own experience as a child dancer. However, he found a lot of obstacles in trying to find his way into truly learning the day-to-day lives of these people. In an interview with Collider, Aronofsky recalled the struggle with the ballet community:
“Most of the time, when you do a movie and you say, ‘Hey, I want to make a movie about your world,’ all the doors open up, and you can do anything and see anything you want. The ballet world really wasn’t at all interested in us hanging out, so it took a long time to get the information to put it together. Over the years, Natalie would say, ‘I’m getting too old to play a dancer. You better hurry up.’ I was like, ‘Natalie, you look great. It’ll be fine.’ And then, about a year out from filming, or maybe a little bit earlier, I finally got a screenplay together. That’s how it started.”
Based on how the ballet community is portrayed in “Black Swan,” filled with ruthlessness and constant competition, I can understand why they would be resistant to having outsiders enter their doors. But that could also just be Aronofsky’s perception of the community based on his experience and is completely false. My guess is it lies somewhere in the middle. Dancers get judged enough in their career. Why do they need an outsider observing them constantly as well?
