[lonmol]

Natalie Portman masturbation scene from the film; Black Swan. I'm including it here because A. She's in her underwear (and there's a great reaction shot at the end of the scene when she realizes that her mother was in the room the entire time), and B. She said in an interview that this scene was extremely embarrassing to do, and that she found it "disgusting" (which is a very odd thing for a young woman to say about a perfectly natural sexual act). I think this quote tells us a lot. When Natalie Portman made Black Swan, she was already a pretty big star. She probably considered herself above doing a scene like this, but was pressured into it by the director. Natalie said in another interview that she's too accommodating when directors ask her to do things (and she was talking about the director of this film just prior to that quote). The other reason I think she hated this scene is the fact that it's not simulated. She's really masturbating, and in a way that many women first learn how. It's easy to see how this made her feel embarrassed and vulnerable...but isn't that exactly what actors strive for? A genuine human performance? Anyway, it's a great scene. One of the best of it's kind from an A level actress. The only one that may be better is Aubrey Plaza's masturbation scene in; The To Do List, which, according to Aubrey, was also the real thing. This scene isn't graphic, but if it crosses the line into hardcore territory, just delete the post.