Darren Aranovsky: Black Swan Director Tried To Pit Natalie Portman Against Mila Kunis

It may have won her a Best Actress Oscar, but filming Black Swan may have been the biggest challenge of Natalie Portman’s life.

Not only did she have to lose twenty pounds, train in ballet and work 16-hour days, but she had to listen to director Darren Aranofsky try and get her to compete with co-star Mila Kunis in order to make the jealousy between their characters seem authentic.

Over the weekend, Vogue did a 5 Things You Didn’t Know feature on Portman, who makes her directorial debut in A Tale of Love And Darkness.

“He’d say, ‘Oh, Mila is doing really well on her stuff. She’s so much better than you,’” Portman, who first talked about this in November 2010, revealed.

View Slideshow: 17 Hottest Mila Kunis Photos of All Time

“Darren would tell us things about each other to try to make us jealous. I think he was trying to create a rivalry in real life between us.”

Portman knew the role required method acting, but she wasn’t about to be pitted against someone she liked.  She and Kunis were friends prior to filming, and that did not change once Swan wrapped.

“Mila and I had had ‘sweatpants nights’ watching Top Chef,” Portman recalled before production started, “and suddenly we were on set together in tutus, emaciated and tired.”

While Aranofsky doesn’t think he was pitting the old friends against one another, there was a method to his madness.

“I knew it might be really hard to keep them apart because they’re friends, but I just didn’t want them to know each other’s motives,” the director explained.

“I didn’t want them to compare notes. I wanted them to come from different places.”

Still, it was Portman’s idea to cast Kunis.

“It was really crazy, because Mila and I were very good friends,” Portman told MTV News at the time.

“And when Darren asked me, ‘Who do you think could do this part? Who has sort of a similar height, coloring, physique?’

“‘I was like, ‘Oh, Mila, Mila, Mila!’ He met her and obviously flipped over her, and she’s super talented and does an amazing job in the movie.”

Natalie Portman & Benjamin Millepied: Headed For Divorce?!

Once upon a time, Natalie Portman was one of the most revered and sought-after actresses in Hollywood.

Then Benjamin Millepied entered her life.

We’re not saying Portman and Millepied’s marriage is to blame for Natalie’s declining career.

She made no secret about the fact that she planned to take some time off after becoming a mother, and that’s exactly what she did.

January’s little-seen and critically reviled “Jane Got a Gun” marked Portman’s less-than-auspicious return to the big screen, but with her prodigious talent and all the goodwill she’s accrued over the years, we’re sure she’ll have no trouble winning her way back into the hearts of audiences if she so desires.

And if the latest rumors about her marriage are true, Natalie may soon find herself consumed with the desire to lose herself in a character.

Sources tell Star magazine that the actress, who’s been living in Europe and maintaining a low profile the last few years, was recently spotted at London hotspot the Chiltern Firehouse.

Several fellow revelers claim Portman made no effort to hide her naked ring finger:

“She was trying to have a good time, but it seemed like her mind was somewhere else,” says an eyewitness. “She kept rubbing her empty ring finger. She looked really sad.”

One insider claims Portman’s marriage troubles are primarily the result of Millepied’s restlessness with regard to his career.

In 2014, the couple, along with their son, Aleph, relocated to France so that Benjamin could take a job as director of the Paris Opera Ballet.

He left the position after just 15 months in order to re-join his traveling dance troupe, the LA Project.

“It’s been stressful,” says a source. “Their lives have been completely uprooted, and their relationship has taken a hit because of it.”

Neither party has responded to the rumors, but recent photos of Portman confirm that she hasn’t been wearing her ring.

View Slideshow: Celebrity Breakups of 2016: Who Entered Splitsville?

Natalie Portman Doppelganger: This 13-Year-Old Boy Looks EXACTLY Like Her!

Holy lookalike! We’ve seen crazy celebrity doppelgangers before, but this one might just take the cake.

Reddit user Usertwothree recently posted this side-by-side pic of his childhood friend and actress Natalie Portman, and the resemblance is truly uncanny.

“This is my friend at age 13. He looked exactly like Natalie Portman,” wrote the user.

That’s right, HE. It’s a boy. A boy who is the friggin’ spitting image of the Black Swan star. He even has her signature mole on the left cheek!

Did someone shoplift Natalie’s DNA from a hair follicle and make a clone after genetically engineering her reproductive organs? 

Naturally, the burning question asked by Reddit users (and everyone who’s seen this pic) is, what does he look like now?

The original poster never answered, but the community seemed to enjoy the response, “Keira Knightly.”

But, of course, this is Reddit we’re talking about, so of course someone had to come up with an intellectual response.

According to user Araucaria:

“Our people has a very small gene pool due to near genocide several times in eastern European history. Pick any two Ashkenazi Jews, and we would effectively be 4th or 5th cousins. It isn’t surprising that Ms. Portman would have a near double in the community.”

Alrighty, then! Perhaps this boy was a long lost cousin of Ms. Portman’s.

I, for one, would love to see these two meet, like Kim Kardashian recently did with her doppelganger.

If you’re out there, Natalie Portman lookalike, would you please come forward so we can see you now? The world awaits.

View Slideshow: 15 Unbelievable Celebrity Lookalikes That Will Blow Your Mind

Kim Richards THROWS DOWN With Natalie Nunn on New Reality Show!

It"s been almost two weeks since Kim Richards was involved in any sort of ridiculous drama, so you had to know something crazy was coming.

Last time we checked in on the troubled reality star, she was facing jail time after lying to a judge to get out of doing community service.

That matter won"t be settled until Kim heads back to court on June 1, but in the meantime, she"s bringing the crazy on her new Lifetime reality show, The Mother/Daughter Experiment.

In a clip from this week"s episode, Kim gets into it with former Bad Girls Club Natalie Nunn, who"s apparently sick of being called a "bad girl, " even though that"s literally all she"s famous for.

Note to other people who might try to be shedding their troublemaker reputation – getting into physical altercations while camera crews are present is generally not the best way to go about it.

On the bright side, the clip supports claims that Kim is sober now, and she"s actually serving as the voice of reason for once.

Yes, when you"re Kim Richards, taking of your sweater so that you can throw down with a woman who"s carrying a plate of Totino"s pizza rolls is actually a sign of progress. Baby steps.

Natalie Wood: Late Actress" Sister Confronts Robert Wagner Over Murder Investigation

It"s been almost 35 years since actress Natalie Wood drowned after falling from a boat off the coast of Santa Catalina Island in California.

In the decades since, the mysterious circumstances surrounding Wood"s passing at the age of 43 have remained a topic of interest for tabloids and conspiracy theorists alike.

In recent years, the demand for answers from Wood"s family and friends has led to the original case being re-opened, with her then-husband, actor Robert Wagner, at the center of the investigation.

In 2014, The National Enquirer reported that Wood caught Wagner and friend Christopher Walken in bed together on the night of her death.

Walken has since been questioned by police and cleared of any suspicion of wrongdoing, but Wagner has consistently refused to investigate with authorities. 

Now in a shocking video obtained by Radar Online, Natalie"s sister, Lana Wood, confronts Wagner and accuses him of 

"You have accused me of murdering her,” Wagner snaps. "It"s incredible. I can"t believe you would do something like that."

Woods sister goes on to accuse Wood of changing his story and refusing to provide straight answers to questions about what took place that fateful night in 1981.

Authorities have officially changed Wood"s cause of death from accidental drowning to "undetermined factors," but Wagner not officially considered a suspect, and at the age of 86, it seems unlikely that he"ll willingly offer up any new information.

Natalie Cole Dies; Legendary Singer Was 65

The world of music has lost a legend.

Natalie Cole, the winner of nine Grammy awards and the singer behind such hits as “This Will Be” and “Inseparable,” has died, the Associated Press confirmed.

She was 65 years old.

Via a statement to NBC News, the artist’s sisters and son said the following of Cole’s passing:

“It is with heavy hearts that we bring to you all the news of our Mother and sister’s passing. Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived … with dignity, strength and honor.

“Our beloved Mother and sister will be greatly missed and remain unforgettable in our hearts forever.”

Natalie was the daughter of Nat King Cole and Maria Hawkins Cole.

She made her singing debut at the age of 6, recording a Christmas song with her famous father.

In 1991, Cole released the album “Unforgettable… with Love,” in which she paid tribute to her father’s most beloved hits. It went on to win six Grammys, including Album of the Year.

She also guest-starred on such shows as Grey’s Anatomy and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and underwent kidney transplant surgery in 2009.

“#NatalieCole, sister beloved & of substance and sound,” Tweeted Rev. Jesse Jackson. “May her soul rest in peace. #Inseperable.”

View Slideshow: 24 Musicians Who Died Too Young

Natalie Kenly Hates on Bree Olson, Defends Charlie Sheen

Natalie Kenly continues to stand up for Charlie Sheen.

The former “goddess” – who dated Sheen in 2011 during the height of his warlock days – said soon after Sheen revealed his HIV diagnosis that she harbored no ill will toward him.

Kenly explained that Sheen kept the disease a secret during their relationship, but whatever. She’s still all good with the actor.

This is a stark contrast to the words of Bree Olson, a porn star who also slept with Sheen a lot and who has blasted the star for not coming clean about his dirty bill of health to her back in the day.

Sheen’s manager, however, has said that Sheen simply did not have HIV when he was dating Olson.

“I knew Charlie as the man, and not the myth or the legend,” Kenly tells Entertainment Tonight.

“Charlie didn’t pay me to keep quiet about his HIV diagnosis or anything else. I was tested.

“I’ve been tested several times since then, and I also don’t believe I was around when he was diagnosed or contracted the virus.”

View Slideshow: 18 Celebrities with HIV

Why does Kenly think Olson takes such a different point of view?

Why does she think Olson recently labeled Sheen a “monster” in a chat with Inside Edition?

Because Olson is an adult film actress, that’s why, Kenly reasons.

“The industry that Bree is in, this is devastating to her career,” Kenly says. “I think that’s why she’s so angry.”

Olson told Inside Edition that Sheen discovered his HIB status “when him and I were living together,” yet didn’t inform her at any point.

“He is a monster, and he put my life in jeopardy along with hundreds – or potentially thousands – of other women’s lives,” she said.

Jenny McCarthy is also really pissed at Sheen. For reasons that remain a tad less clear.

View Slideshow: 18 STUNNING Celebrity Confessions

Natalie Kenly: Charlie Sheen Never Revealed HIV Diagnosis to Me, Either!

Natalie Kenly has something unfortunate in common with Bree Olson.

The fact that both have Charlie Sheen as notches in their bedpost? Well, yes.

But something even more specific than that.

Earlier today, Sheen confirmed to Matt Lauer that he is HIV positive.

As part of his wide-ranging interview on the subject, Sheen said that he disclosed his diagnosis to every sexual partner he’s had in the past four years or so.

Every single one? Yes, “no exceptions,” Sheen insisted.

However, two exceptions have already emerged.

First, Olson angrily told Howard Stern this morning that Sheen never once mentioned to her that he was HIV positive.

“I was living with him. We were sleeping together every single night [and] he never said anything,” Olson relayed to the radio host.

Olson served as one of Sheen’s “goddesses” during the actor’s tiger blood-induced meltdown in 2011. As did Kenly.

And just like Olson, Kenly tells TMZ that Sheen NEVER revealed his diagnosis to her, either.

Unlike Olson, however, Kenly does not harbor any hard feelings toward the former sitcom star.

She says she has been tested; she’s negative for the disease; and that she truly believes Sheen loved all of his women back in the day. She doesn’t think he meant them any harm.

So, no, Kenly will not be one of the six women allegedly preparing to sue Sheen over his sexual actions.

The names of those women have not been released, but TMZ says they have hired legal representation and will file a lawsuit against Sheen for “intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, and sexual battery.” 

Stay tuned. This story is not going anywhere for a long time, folks.

View Slideshow: 18 Celebrities with HIV