Mila Kunis Says 'Black Swan' Trainer 'Kicked My Ass'

'Get as skinny as you possibly can as fast as you can and then learn to get en pointe,' she recalls to MTV News of preparation.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Mila Kunis
Photo: MTV News

While much of the buzz about "Black Swan" has been focused on the sexual undertones — and overtones — the real story is about the intensive training stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis underwent in order to transform for their performances.

When MTV News caught up with Kunis, we asked her to give us the "CliffsNotes" version of her laborious undertaking for the flick, which opens Friday.

"The preparation was, get as skinny as you possibly can as fast as you can and then learn to get en pointe while doing it," she said. "I got the part, let's say on a Wednesday. Thursday morning I went into the ballet studio in L.A. with Alexandra Blacker who was my ballet instructor. [She] was 20 years old at the time and had already broken her back and had fractured ribs and things. I went in there, started working with her for seven days a week, five hours a day and was put on a 1,200-calorie diet for a total of five or six months," Kunis explained. "I did get one day off, and that was my birthday; Alexandra made me a root beer float."

The feisty 27-year-old added that her regimen didn't stop for scheduling conflicts, even the Emmys.

"We're talking all day, every day," she said of her training schedule. I remember during the Emmys and I said, 'I don't think I can make it, I have to get ready for the Emmys.' [Blacker] said, 'Yeah you can. I'll see you at 6 a.m.' So I went in at 6 a.m., danced for five hours, came home, showered and went to the Emmys."

Kunis went on to say that her younger instructor was quite the slave driver. "She never gave me a break. She was 20 and she kicked my ass."

Check out everything we've got on "Black Swan."

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