text: Natalie Portman Shares Her Thoughts On Her Oscar Victory | The San Marino Tribune
  Natalie Portman Shares Her Thoughts On Her Oscar Victory	Posted Monday, February 28, 2011-9:27 am
  HOLLYWOOD (CNS) – Winning the best-actress Oscar "feels very, verydreamlike,' Natalie Portman said backstage tonight at the Kodak Theatre. Though she was happy to take home the award for her role as Nina in"Black Swan,' the pregnant actress said she would absolutely not name herbaby-to-be Oscar. "That's definitely out of the question,' she said. The role was a strenuous one for the actress, who said the shooting andrehearsal schedule was so "hectic' that she only slept about five hours anight. But she said that helped her in dealing with such a damaged character. "I didn't necessarily have time to think about what was happening,'she said, instead "just falling into bed and then waking up to go to set.' But it still took her longer to shake off the character than some otherroles she's played. "The whole movie was so intense … it stayed with me a little longerthan usual,' Portman said. She credited director Darren Aronofsky for guiding her through theemotionally and physically demanding role. "It's only possible to give yourself so freely when you absolutely 100percent trust the person you're working with as a director,' the actress said.Film is "absolutely a director's medium' and "Darren's artistry is soextreme, that I absolutely felt free to try everything.' As for the dancing, she said she felt the role was choreographed "in amanner that best flattered what I could do and avoided what I couldn't do,'which was "key to the credibility for the film.' Her character Nina should be both admired and pitied, she said. "Her passion is to be admired, but her obvious fragile mental state andfragmentation of her identity is to be pitied,' Portman told reporters. "One of the most beautiful things about the film is that it can beinterpreted in so many ways,' said the actress. "I really see it as a comingof age.' She said she believes the film shows Nina becoming a woman and "killingthe child's version of herself … I don't necessarily see (the end of thefilm) as a death, as some people do.' Many of the questions she had to field backstage were about her pregnancy. "The baby was definitely kicking a lot during the song portion of theshow, little dancer,' Portman recalled, but said she couldn't remember muchelse that had happened after her name was called. Her pregnancy has insulated her against some of the silliness of awardsseason, she said. "It feels like a protection against all of the hoopla,' Portman said."(It's) the part that keeps you centered … in the midst of a lot of shinystuff that is more superficial.' Next, she looks forward to "staying in bed and not having to do mymakeup and hair and keeping my sweats on.'