Mila Kunis Smoked ‘A Lot Of Cigarettes’ To Lose Weight For ‘Black Swan’
Mila Kunis recently guested on the Howard Stern’s SiriusXM show, and the 32-year-old actress discussed her role in the 2010 film Black Swan.
Black Swan, a psychological thriller starring Natalie Portman, was directed by Darren Aronofsky and was nominated for five Academy Awards. The movie nabbed the Best Actress for Natalie Portman’s portrayal of professional ballerina, Nina Sayers. Mila Kunis played a ballerina named Lily and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards. Black Swan also starred Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder.
Mila Kunis did not audition for the role of Lily. Instead, she was recommended by Natalie Portman, who is a good friend of hers. A Skype conversation between Kunis and Aronofsky happened, and she got the part.
Mila Kunis Recalls ‘Awful’ Diet for ‘Black Swan’: Cigarettes and 1,200 Calories a Day #MilaKunis https://t.co/aykIylc56A
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Although Mila Kunis was already petite prior to getting the role, she said that she had to lose more weight to look the part of a professional ballerina. The actress never had the experience of dancing ballet, and Mila had to train for months to look like a professional, as reported by ET Online.
“I had to look skinny in order to look like a ballerina. You fake it. So, the best way to fake it is to unfortunately look like it.”
During the interview with Stern, Kunis said that she went on a 1,200-calorie daily diet and smoked a lot of cigarettes. The diet part was new to Kunis then, who said that she never monitored her food intake before getting the role. Her smoking, however, was a different story. According to Mila, she used to be a smoker.
“I’m not promoting this at all — but I used to be a smoker, and so I smoked a lot of cigarettes and I ate a limited amount of calories.”
“I don’t advocate this at all. It was awful.”
In an interview with Vogue in 2011, Mila Kunis explained the demands of her Black Swan role, saying that she weighed only 95 lbs., which was 20 lbs. lighter than her normal weight.
She spent seven days a week, for four hours each day, training as a ballerina for Black Swan, and the training period lasted for seven months before production began. In addition, Kunis said that she got injuries, as did Natalie Portman. Mila Kunis had a dislocated shoulder, and she also tore a ligament on her calf.
Although it was tough for Mila to lose the weight for the Black Swan role, she said that gaining back the weight was easy.
As mentioned earlier, Mila Kunis was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, but lost to Melissa Leo for the film The Fighter. As Mila said, she didn’t feel pressured to win, as reported by tv3.ie.
“I love what I do but I don’t need to win. Like, I just need to work.”
Natalie Portman & Mila Kunis in Black Swan: Weight Loss & Injuries – https://t.co/5Hw2tvAFjZ pic.twitter.com/83Cvz1puoH
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During the interview, Mila also talked about her husband, Ashton Kutcher, who was her onscreen love interest in That 70s Show. Kunis revealed that before they were in a serious relationship, they were “friends with benefits.”
Mila Kunis’ latest film is Bad Moms wherein she plays the role of Amy Mitchell, an exhausted and overworked mother seeking freedom from her responsibilities. The film also stars Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, and Christina Applegate. Bad Moms will be released in theaters on July 29.
[Photo by Chris Weeks/Getty Images for Burberry]
