8 Stars Who Underwent Dramatic Transformations for a Movie Role

Natalie Portman

• She dropped about 20 pounds for her role in the psychological horror film Black Swan (2010).

Natalie Portman is an Israeli-born American actress and director who has received a lot of accolades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Our beautiful actress started her acting career at the age of 12 by starring in the drama Léon: The Professional (1994). She gained international fame after starring in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). The actress attended Harvard University for a bachelor’s degree in psychology but chose to continue acting.

However, for her role in the American psychological horror film Black Swan (2010), Natalie not only had to learn ballet for several months before filming began, practicing for about 16 hours a day, but she had to follow a strict diet as well. These sacrifices were not so easy and she thought she might die from being so skinny.

In addition, Portman managed to drop about 20 pounds. She said that she tried to follow the actual diet of a ballerina, which contained only  “a small salad for lunch, a small amount of nuts, fruit and nothing in the evening,” the actress said. Nevertheless, these efforts earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.

You might also like: 7 Items That Are Just Status Symbols.