‘Black Swan’s’ Natalie Portman had moves down despite double’s claims

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

Oscar winner Natalie Portman is amazed that controversy is still swirling about the quantity of her actual dancing in “Black Swan.”

The actress — whose best actress Academy Award is widely credited to Oscar voters believing she personally performed virtually all the phenomenal ballet artistry in the film — is said to be upset that the story just won’t go away.

The situation became even more heated after top ballerina and Portman’s “Black Swan” dance double Sarah Lane gave an extended interview on ABC’s “20/20” Friday night.

In the TV segment, Lane reiterated her claim that she did the lion’s share of dancing in the movie — with Portman’s face digitally transposed onto her body to make it seem she was doing all the leaps, twirls and other complicated ballet moves.

† Portman’s friends say the actress is deeply hurt by the brouhaha, believing she is unfairly being targeted by disgruntled ballet fans unwilling to accept Portman was able to achieve near-perfection as a dancer after only a year of intense training and rehearsal.

† A longtime American Ballet Theatre pro told me Monday that Lane’s irritation “is basically about her not being given appropriate credit by Natalie or the ‘Black Swan’ filmmakers for all that she contributed to the success of that film.”

† Another longtime Portman pal said, “Considering that unbelievable performance Natalie gave in ‘Black Swan,’ it would be a terrible shame if people in Hollywood added a mental ‘asterisk’ to her best actress award, believing she won it due to a less-than-candid awards campaign.”

† On top of everything else, another Portman body double — acting student Caroline Davis — stirred the pot for a different reason over the weekend. Davis revealed it was she and not Portman who stripped naked and jumped into a freezing pool for a scene in the comedy “Your Highness.” However, as one top Hollywood studio honcho pointed out, “That kind of thing is done by every top actress who wants to avoid nude scenes.”

STILL FIGHTING: The Halle Berry custody battle with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry continues to get nastier. The actress is said to be irate that Aubry’s complaints — about Berry having to be in New York with their daughter Nahla for an extended run in her Broadway debut — forced her to drop out of the show.

“Halle is devastated. [Starring on Broadway] was something she’s dreamed about doing for years,” said a source close to Berry.

The Oscar winner was slated to play a maid at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis the night before the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Samuel L. Jackson is starring as King in “The Mountaintop,” a fictionalized retelling of the 1968 tragedy.

† Aubry reportedly does not seem concerned by threats Berry will do everything she can do to “get” the model — whom she believes is out to destroy her career. Earlier, it was Aubry’s legal maneuvering over custody issues that forced Berry to relinquish a significant role in “New Year’s Eve” to Katherine Heigl — later taking on a smaller one in the upcoming film.

BACK IN COURT: Not surprisingly, Charlie Sheen’s lawyers today will be in court requesting ex-wife Brooke Mueller’s custody of the couple’s twins be revoked (and given to Sheen) along with Sheen’s $55,000 monthly child support payments to Mueller.

Mueller, who has returned to rehab after falling off the wagon and allegedly pawning jewelry to buy crack cocaine last week, will be fighting back. Her lawyers are demanding Sheen undergo a psychological exam before any decisions are made regarding the permanent custody of the couple’s children.

IT’S ACADEMIC: Graduation season approaches and with it, the naming of honorary degree recipients — including Grammy-winning Chicago soul legend Mavis Staples, who will be presented with an honorary doctor of music degree from Boston’s Berklee College of Music on May 5.

† South Side-based St. Xavier University will give honorary doctor of humane letters degrees to filmmakers Don Hahn and Mike Carroll on May 15. Chicago native Hahn, best known for his Disney animated productions (“Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King”), and photographer Carroll recently were in town promoting their documentary “Hand Held” — focusing on Carroll’s two decades of work aiding the desperate plight of Romanian orphans.

SEEN ON THE SCENE: Just a few blocks from the United Center, the Bulls’ Carlos Boozer was seen carb-loading at Viaggio Ristorante in the West Loop. … While in town, Rod Stewart made a beeline to Alex Dana’s Rosebud on Rush, chowing down on chef Michael Ponzio’s fab Italian fare.