(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Natalie Portman thinks ballet shoes feel medieval.

The 29-year-old actress portrays a ballerina in Darren Aronofskys thriller Black Swan, which recounts the relationship between a veteran ballet dancer and her rival.

Talented Natalie had to master the art of ballet for the movie, and although she had trained in classical dance as a youngster, she found wearing point shoes for the film particularly painful. The star thinks the specialist shoes designed for ballerinas to help them stand on their tip toes are not much different to the torture devices used in medieval times.

"I was so happy to stop wearing those point shoes," she recalled.

"Point shoes are torture devices. I mean, ballerinas get used to it and so it was definitely a case of it being a new experience for me, but they feel very medieval."

Natalie has received plenty of critical acclaim for her role as Nina Sayers/The Swan Queen in the film, and rumours have even been circulating that she may receive an Oscar nomination. The film also stars Mila Kunis and French actor Vincent Cassel. (C) Cover Media