Darren Aronofsky defends Natalie Portman's performance in "Black Swan"

There have been many claims and rumors circulating the Internet this past weekend that Natalie Portman used a dance double in "Black Swan."

"On the full body shots, I would say five percent are Natalie," claimed Sarah Lane, a 27-year-old American Ballet Theatre soloist, to Entertainment Weekly.

According to OK! Magazine, director Darren Aronofsky is defending the Academy Award actress against these claims.

"Here is the reality. I had my editor count shots. There were 139 dance shots in the film. 111 are Natalie Portman untouched. 28 are her dance double Sarah Lane. If you do the math that's 75 percent Natalie Portman," Aronofsky said in a statement via Entertainment Weekly.

"What about the duration? The shots that feature the double are wide shots that rarely play for longer than one second. There are two complicated longer dance sequences that we used face replacement. Even so, if we were judging by time over 90 percent would be Natalie Portman."

Lane also told Entertainment Weekly that "from a professional dancer's standpoint, she doesn't look like a professional ballet dancer at all and she can't dance in pointe shoes. And she can't move her body, she's very stiff."

Aronofsky responded to that claim by saying Portman fully took on the role of a dancer.

"And to be clear Natalie did dance on pointe in pointe shoes. If you look at the final shot in the opening prologue, which lasts 85 seconds, and was danced completely by Natalie, she exits the scene on pointe. That is completely her without any digital magic," he said. "I am responding to this to put this to rest and to defend my actor. Natalie sweated long and hard to deliver a great physical and emotional performance. And I don't want anyone to think that's not her they are watching. It is."