The professional dancer who worked as Natalie Portman's dance double for the Academy Award-nominated film, 'Black Swan,' is claiming she's the victim of a "cover-up," Entertainment Weekly reports. The ballerina told the magazine the film and its producers are misleading the public about how much dancing Portman actually did in the movie."Of the full body shots, I would say 5 percent are Natalie," says Sarah Lane, 27, an American Ballet Theatre soloist. "All the other shots are me." Lane performed most of the film's complicated dance sequences and allowed Portman's face to be digitally grafted onto her body.
In a L.A. Times article published earlier this week, Portman's fiancé and 'Black Swan' choreographer Benjamin Millepied said otherwise. "There are articles now talking about her dance double [Lane] that are making it sound like [she] did a lot of the work, but really, she just did the footwork, and the fouettés, and one diagonal [phrase] in the studio," he said. "Honestly, 85 percent of that movie is Natalie."
But Lane doesn't agree. "The shots that are just her face with arms, those shots are definitely Natalie," she said. "But that doesn't show the actual dancing."
Lane confessed she was never promised specific billing for her role but was disappointed to see herself barely credited: she is only acknowledged as "Hand Model," "Stunt Double," and "Lady in the Lane" (a brief walk-on role).
One of Lane's most surprising admissions to EW: that 'Black Swan' producer Ari Handel asked her not to talk about her work to the press.




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I'm sure you're being sarcastic, but she didn't, and neither did Natalie Wood in "West Side Story". Marni Nixon did it, and she never had much of a career after that.
you both ruined my whole day I hope you're happy (Notice I used the right "you're" this time)
Many actors have stunts in the movies... the stuntperson rarely be in the credit list.
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Sounds like the dancer is just jealous of Natalie's Oscar and only spitting bitter words.
She accepted the job as a stunt double knowing that she won't be credited. And now, just after the Academy and Natalie's spotlight, she suddenly wants to be credited.
Gosh, get over yourself.
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Ok, so I guess I'm one of those dumb a@@e@ who thought Portman did the dancing herself. Alrighty then...
That being said, I don't think some are giving enough credit to the dancing in her Oscar winning role. Had Portman done what she was trained to do (1 and a half years of ballet training), she'd be no different than my friend's 6 year old dancing in a school recital. Not so impressive. Part of what made that performance so riveting was the power and the grace in the dancing. The stunt double was the one acting when the character was verbally chastised for her dancing skills and forced to step it up to make lead dancer. It was Portman's face, but that ballerina's body. Just sayin'...
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Does this really matter? Natalie is and has been a superb actress and has never claimed to be a dancer per se. It's frustrating to love dancing, be a dancer and not receive the acclaim and adulation that you feel you deserve but all of this attention about who really did all the dancing just sounds like sour grapes. It was Natalie's fine acting that won her the awards and you just have to give credit where it is due.
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Since when do STUNT DOUBLES get big billing?
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Donna,
More like bought the oscar, did you even read what i said, she cant act! she just co starred with ashton kutcher! thats tv quality. Give the Oscar to the Dancer and be done with it!
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When you purchase a ticket to view a movie or purchase it, you are purchasing the vision and perspective of a director. A story told in the director's point of view. If the director is talented the use of doubles is seamless. Doubles know up front that they do not get the same credit as the star because that would diminish the illusion created by the director.
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I don't care if this lady did all the dancing! She just wants her fifteen minutes of fame. What a dumb butt!!
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Sarah Lane, you got paid to be Natalie's double, right? Doesn't matter if it's 85% or 15% you -- so close your mouth and be quiet. You won't be as famous as Natalie Portman. And because of your big mouth, that will probably the last time someone hires you to be a double.
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Thats because Lane is NOT JEWISH?????
Seriously -- did anyone at all think Portman did more than a small amount of the dancing?
Though, a credit as "Lead Dancer" at the head of the list of all the dancers appearing would have been more appropriate.
She should have had her agent bring this up privately with the director. She might have got a better credit on the DVD - or heck, even a DVD extra focusing on her, exclusively, out of it.
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Sarah Lane was hired to do the dancing in the "Black Swan", the movie star in the movie is Natalie Portman. Sarah signed a contract, did the work, was paid. Sounds as if Sarah's nose is out of joint, not too many ballerina movie gigs out there, be glad you were part of an Oscar winning role and move on. Big Baby!
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and laurence olivier was in the original clash of the titans. so your point is???
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Oh for the love of God people!
Do you honestly think, that if the producers truly didn't want Ms. Lane speaking on the matter, that there wouldn't be a non-disclosure agreement in place?
Did any of you consider, even for a moment, that this entire story is likely nothing more than the work of the Hollywood media machine?!? Keeping in mind the DVD is due to drop in about 8 weeks, what better way to keep it relevant that by generating a story of this nature.
All we have to do now is wait for the responses from the studio, producers and Ms. Portman, which will likely be followed shortly thereafter by the some type of legal action initiated by one of the "wronged" parties.
Then, once the DVD is released, without anyone noticing, this story just seems to fade away.
Just sayin...
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That's the difference between the great old Hollywood and this trumped up machine that spits out mediocre talent in its place. The greats did it all, song, dance, act and inspire. It was about the Arts back then (Ars Gratia Artis).
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That's Hollywood...
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Dance is an art form, I have studied dance for a good deal of my life and now in my senior years, did not enjoy the dancing part , simply because I knew Ms. Portman had a stand in . The choreography was mediocre and Ms. Portman should have been able to execute in order to receive the 'Oscar', unfortunately this was not the case.
Accolades went out for all the wrong reasons.
Kudos to Ms. Lane the stand in... keep dancing.. you deserve the encore, not Ms. Portman....
Technology seems to be replacing the true art form of dance....Ms. Portman was the vehicle...
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You are correct- Portman was the "vehicle" BUT, I would say that the vehicle was a PIECE of JUNK, as the movie was!!!!