Kristina Roberts
When we think about movies, we often imagine bright lights, glamorous red carpets, and stars living easy lives. But behind the scenes, the truth can be very different. One example is actress Mila Kunis, who recently spoke about the extreme things she did for her role in the 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan.
The movie, directed by Darren Aronofsky, was about ballet dancers, but it wasn’t just about dancing. It was about the pressure, the competition, and the dark side of trying to be perfect. Mila Kunis starred alongside Natalie Portman, and both played ballerinas. To become believable dancers, they had to train their bodies in intense ways. In a new interview with Vogue, Mila revealed how she prepared for the role — and her story shows the hard reality of chasing art.
She admitted, “My prep was a lot of dancing and very little eating — which I know you’re not supposed to say, but it’s the truth.”
This simple sentence shows just how difficult the process was. To look and move like a professional ballerina, she had to completely change her lifestyle. Ballerinas are known for their slim figures, and in Hollywood, that pressure can become even stronger. Mila said she lived mostly on broth, a thin liquid soup, while spending up to 12 hours every single day practicing dance.
“I drank a lot of broth and danced for 12 hours a day,” she shared.
Imagine practicing for half a day, every day, with barely any food. Most of us struggle to go to school or work on an empty stomach. Yet Mila pushed herself to do it for months. She wasn’t just learning dance steps. She was changing her entire body and mindset to fit into the role of a ballerina who was constantly under pressure.
Mila, now 42, looked back on that time and explained how the training period was supposed to be short. Originally, she and Natalie Portman thought they would only have three months to get ready. That was already a lot, considering how physically demanding ballet is. But things didn’t go as planned.
She explained that after the film lost some of its funding, the preparation time stretched out to six months while the director, Darren Aronofsky, searched for more money to make the project happen. This meant that Mila and Natalie had to continue their exhausting routine for twice as long as expected. Six months of long hours, strict diets, and endless dancing.
This detail might sound small, but for an actor, it changes everything. Three months is a challenge. Six months is nearly impossible without serious effects on health and well-being. Mila did it anyway, because she wanted to give her very best to the role. And her hard work was clear in the final movie, which became a major success. Black Swan went on to win awards, including an Oscar for Natalie Portman, and it is still remembered as one of the most intense movies about ballet ever made.
But when we hear Mila talk about it now, years later, it’s easy to wonder — was the sacrifice worth it? She herself admitted, “I know you’re not supposed to say” that she barely ate, because it sends a dangerous message. Extreme dieting can harm not only the body but also the mind. For young fans and aspiring performers, this can create unhealthy examples. Yet at the same time, Mila’s honesty is refreshing. Many celebrities hide the truth about what goes into preparing for roles. She chose to be open, even about the parts she regrets.
This story also reminds us that actors are not just pretending when we see them on screen. To bring a character to life, they often live through physical and emotional struggles. Mila’s experience with Black Swan was not about wearing a costume and saying lines. It was about reshaping her entire life for half a year, so that audiences could believe she was truly a ballerina trapped in a dark, psychological battle.
For Natalie Portman, the experience was also difficult, and she too has spoken about how demanding it was. Together, both actresses supported each other through the process, though the film’s pressure was immense. Behind the camera, Aronofsky pushed them to the edge, trying to capture every detail of obsession and perfection that the story required.
Even though Mila Kunis did not win an Oscar for her role, she gained recognition for her powerful performance. Critics praised her transformation, and audiences were captivated by the haunting story. Still, when we hear her memories today, we realize the cost of that performance was much higher than anyone imagined.
Her words make us think about the bigger picture. How much should someone give up for their art? At what point does dedication become dangerous? These are not just questions for actors. Students, athletes, workers — all of us sometimes push ourselves too far in search of success. Mila’s story is a reminder that health and well-being should not be sacrificed, no matter the dream.
It also shows the reality of filmmaking. Movies may last only two hours on screen, but years of effort and sacrifice often go into making them. For Black Swan, the haunting beauty we saw came from six months of sweat, hunger, and exhaustion.
And yet, even after all that, Mila can still look back and laugh a little, saying she probably shouldn’t admit to eating so little. That touch of honesty makes her story feel real and human. We see not just the actress, but the person behind the fame — someone who struggled, learned, and lived through an experience that changed her forever.
Her journey tells us that sometimes, behind the applause and awards, there are stories of pain and sacrifice that the audience never sees. And while the world may celebrate the movie, the actors carry those memories with them long after the lights go out.
“Sometimes the things we do for our dreams are not healthy, but they teach us lessons we never forget.” Mila’s story is proof of that.
