A Classy Shotgun Affair
Natalie Portman, you saucy minx: Engaged and preggers? That's how you promote afilm
Photo by Eric Ray Davidson for Details
Benjamin Millepied
Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied
No, I'm not suggesting that Natalie Portman got pregnant AND engaged over the weekend in order to create buzz for her already buzzed-about starring turn in Black Swan. I am, however, admiring her multitasking. And the vigor of her womb.
The already petite actress lost a purported 20 pounds for the project, in which she stars as an up-and-coming ballerina at the New York City ballet — and gained a boyfriend.
Her fiancé, choreographer Benjamin Millepied, is a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet and worked on the choreography for director Darren Aronofsky's critically acclaimed film. He also makes a small appearance in the movie as the dance partner of Portman and her understudy, played by Mila Kunis.
A June profile of Millepied by Details magazine compares him to Mikhail Baryshnikov as the first dancer in generations with real crossover potential. (They also compare him to Glee's Mr. Schu, a seemingly odd match for Ms. Portman.)
Millepied grew up in Bordeaux, France, and lived for a time in Senegal. Both parents are athletic — his mother ran a dance school and his father trained Olympic track-and-field athletes. He joined the NYCB when he was 18.
Culturally, they seem a perfect match. But one can't help but wonder if there are other forces afoot. Black Swan marks Millepied's first foray into Hollywood — access that his now life-long connection to Portman will undoubtedly only broaden.
What do you think? Are they caught up in a whirlwind romance, or is this the classiest shotgun wedding ever?
