Natalie Portman used a butt double (UPDATE)

There’s a controversy a-brewin’ over Black Swan (on the eve of the DVD release, no less!).  And by controversy, I mean something three or four people care about.  Natalie Portman’s ballerino husband Ben Millipede says Portman did 85% of the dancing in Black Swan, while her body double, Sarah Lane, claims the number was more like 5%.  The filmmakers back the ballerino, but Lane says it was always the studio’s plan to make it seem like Portman learned a bunch of fancy ballarinery to help build Oscar buzz, even though it’s possible to master the moves from the movie after just a year and a half of training.  Since neither party seems willing to resolve this dispute through scissoring, it isn’t of particular concern to me.

Therefore, we turn our attention to more important matters.  Namely, whether Natalie Portman used a butt double for her now-infamous thong scene in Your Highness (more screencaps here, here).  It’s an important question, because as a professional blogger, Natalie Portman’s butt puts food in my mouth.  According to a recent article in the Sunday Life from Belfast, where Your Highness was filmed, the answer to the butt double question seems to be “yes.”  THONGPOSTER, THONGPOSTER! (*body snatchers shriek*)

A SULTRY Ulster model has landed a small role in an epic US fantasy drama — as a prostitute who beats up a dwarf king. Beautiful Caroline Davis plays the medieval hooker in Game of Thrones, the new series from the makers of mafia hit The Sopranos.  Caroline landed her role after producers saw her stepping in as Natalie Portman’s ‘butt-double’ in the Belfast-shot movie Your Highness.

BOOM!  BUTT DOUBLE’D!  I’ve included a couple pictures of Davis below, which were really hard to find considering she doesn’t have an IMDB page, and her name is “Caroline Davis.”  What pictures I did find all look like model portfolio shots, which makes sense as they came from modeling portfolio sites.  And to be honest, she looks rather skinny for a butt double.  Could it be that by “butt double” they meant “stand in?”  (Meaning they used Davis while setting up the lights and camera, but you’d still be seeing Portman’s butt in the finished shots).  I didn’t want to be the one to say it, but these Irish, sometimes they drink.  In any case, if someone from the production wants to illuminate this issue, I would be more than happy to investigate further using a pile of photos, a lightbox, a jeweler’s eye loupe, and perhaps a graduated cylinder filled with bubbling green liquid.  Really, it’s no trouble.  I’ve got time.

IMPORTANT BUTT UPDATE: Word from a trusted source close to the production who would know is: the part where you can see Natalie’s face (the banner pic) is all Portman, they only used the stunt double for the part where she dives into the water (here), because pshaw, son, an Oscar-winning actress ain’t gonna dive into no cold-ass Irish water.   So there you have it.  Aren’t you glad we cleared that up?  I know Natalie Portman’s butt has been keeping you up at night. And now, probably.