Director Darren Aronofsky says that Natalie Portman’s transformation into a ballerina for her role in “Black Swan” is comparable to Mickey Rourke’s metamorphosis into Randy “The Ram” Robinson for “The Wrestler.” Portman trained under the supervision of former New York City Ballet dancer Mary Helen Bowers, who custom-made a yearlong crash course in ballet technique.
The two started with barre work and posture: how to tuck the backside under the spine and how to hold the arms at precise angles. Eventually Portman was ready for pointe shoes — the boxy ballet slippers that allow dancers to move on the tips of their toes.
“I think she was really shocked when she first tried it. They definitely hurt your feet a lot and that first time there’s always a feeling of ‘There’s no way can I do this.’ ” Bowers tells The Post.
But Portman was so devoted that she squeezed in training whenever her schedule allowed — as early as 5:30 a.m. and as late as midnight. She worked to perfect a series of fouétté turns that are integral to the movie. Her character has to perform them in order to get the part of the Swan Queen.
When she finally nailed the move — a pirouétte with one leg kicking outward — Bowers says “there was serious high-fiving and jumping up and down.”