Portman, cast premiere 'Black Swan'

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Portman, cast premiere 'Black Swan'

Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder and other castmates premiered "Black Swan" at New York's Ziegfeld Theatre.

Natalie Portman and her castmates premiered "Black Swan" at New York's Ziegfeld Theatre. Portman lost 20 pounds while training for the title role.

Mila Kunis had no training as a dancer before she was tapped to play Portman's friend-lover-rival.

Winona Ryder, 39, plays an over-the-hill dancer who is cruelly dismissed.

Barbara Hershey was cast as Portman's overbearing mother. The two didn't have a chance to meet before shooting began, so they wrote to each other instead.

Vincent Cassel, cast as the demanding ballet director, says he doesn't think the independent film will be a hard sell with audiences because it "becomes like a real horror film and people get scared ... That's what people like."

"Black Swan" was the first big-screen project for Ksenia Solo.

Director Darren Aronofsky adds "Black Swan" to a resume that already included "The Wrestler" and "Requiem for a Dream."

Producer Rick Schwartz poses with Emmanuelle Chriqui, best known for her recurring role on "Entourage."

Others at the premiere were Chace Crawford of "Gossip Girl" ...

... Thora Birch ...

... and Alexa Joel, daughter of musician Billy Joel.

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Natalie Portman and her castmates premiered "Black Swan" at New York's Ziegfeld Theatre. Portman lost 20 pounds while training for the title role.

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