Black Swan Page #4

He pauses, looks her up and down as if trying to decipher

her.

18.

LEROY (CONT’D)

Why are you here? All dolled up?

NINA:

(unsure)

I came to ask you to give me the

part.

LEROY:

That all?

She doesn’t know what he means. He comes around his desk and

approaches her.

LEROY (CONT’D)

Truth is, when I look at you, all I

see is the White Swan. Yes, you’re

beautiful, fragile, fearful. Ideal

casting. But the Black Swan...it’s

a hard f***ing job to dance both.

NINA:

I can be the Black Swan too.

LEROY:

Really? She’s hungry, volatile. In

four years, every time you dance, I

see you obsess over getting each

move exactly right, but I never see

you lose yourself.

Insecure, she looks like she wants to run out of the room.

LEROY (CONT’D)

All that discipline, for what?

NINA:

I want to be perfect.

He laughs.

LEROY:

Perfection’s not just about

control. It’s also about letting

go. Surprising the audience.

Surprising yourself. Transcendence.

He considers her for a moment.

LEROY (CONT’D)

Very few have it in them.

NINA:

I:

18A.

Without warning, he slowly plants a kiss on her mouth.

It lasts for a moment, but he suddenly jerks away.

LEROY:

Ow! F***!

He touches his lip, stunned.

LEROY (CONT’D)

You bit me.

19.

She’s too scared to respond.

LEROY (CONT’D)

(amused)

I can’t believe it. That f***ing

hurt.

He goes to the mirror to check for damage. He glances back at

Nina.

NINA:

(mumbled)

Sorry.

She quickly leaves, shell-shocked.

24 INT. LARGE REHEARSAL SPACE - DAY 24

The company stretch and go through their usual warm-up

routine, a tension in the air. The casting decision still

uncertain.

Nina touches her lips, thinking about the encounter. Then

looks over at Veronica, knowing the good news in store.

Veronica notices. Nina looks away.

VERONICA:

(irked)

What?

Nina shakes her head.

A sudden energy sweeps the room, and she hears the sound of

scuffling feet and whispering. “It’s up.” “She just posted

it.” “C’mon.”

The dancers start exiting into the hallway. Veronica turns to

follow.

NINA:

Veronica?

Veronica turns around. It’s hard, but Nina decides to be a

good loser.

NINA (CONT’D)

Congratulations.

Nina subtly glances at the exiting girls and Veronica

immediately gets it.

She excitedly pushes through the crowd of girls, wanting to

see for herself.

20.

Knowing the outcome already, Nina continues stretching in the

deserted space, resigned to her fate. She finishes, grabs

her belongings and walks out.

25 INT. BACKSTAGE HALLWAY - SAME 25

A crowd of dancers surround the bulletin board, jostling to

get a look.

Nina starts walking down the hall in the opposite direction.

Behind her, she can hear a small commotion and then:

VERONICA (O.S.)

Why did you tell me that?

She turns and sees Veronica, her face flushed with anger.

VERONICA (CONT’D)

Your idea of a joke?

NINA:

(confused)

What?

VERONICA:

F*** you.

Veronica storms away.

The group of girls stares at Nina, making her very self-

conscious.

Nina tentatively approaches the bulletin board, to see what

Veronica’s outburst was all about.

First a few, then more and more of the girls smile at her.

They make room for her as she pushes through.

She finally gets to the CASTING NOTICE, finds “Swan Queen”

and underneath:

*NINA SAYERS

Stunned, she turns around to face the mass of ballerinas.

She sees Lily eyeing her with a flat expression, which turns

into a smile to mask her disappointment.

The other girls start congratulating and hugging Nina, some

more sincerely than others.

21.

26

INT. THEATER BATHROOM - DAY 26

Nina bursts in through the door and heads directly for one of

the stalls.

She locks herself in for privacy and dials a number on her

CELL PHONE. She holds it to her ear, anxiously waiting for

the person to answer.

NINA:

Hey...Everything’s fine...He picked

me, mommy.

She waits for a response.

NINA (CONT’D)

Did you hear me?...Yes, I’m going

to be the Swan Queen.

Nina laughs at her mother’s response and can’t help but start

crying.

NINA (CONT’D)

I’ll be home soon, okay? I just had

to tell you.

Nina hangs up and the tears really start flowing. She’s

dreamt of this for so long, it’s almost too much to bear.

She wipes the tears off with the back of her hand and pulls

herself together. She comes out of the stall...

Horrified to discover “WHORE” written on the mirror in RED

LIPSTICK.

Nina looks around the bathroom, to make sure she’s alone.

She snags a paper towel and wipes off the insult, smearing

the mirror with red streaks.

27 INT. UPPER WEST SIDE APARTMENT - AFTERNOON 27

Nina unlocks the door to the apartment.

NINA:

Mom?

Nina looks around, puzzled she isn’t there.

28

INT. ERICA’S BEDROOM - LATER 28

Nina opens the door and pokes her head in.

22.

But Erica’s not in there either. Nina glances at the walls.

Where several homemade PAINTINGS hang, all of the same

subject:
Nina as a young girl, posing in a tutu. On a desk,

the ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH is clipped to a painting in progress.

Out of the corner of her eye, one of the portraits seems to

shift. Nina turns towards it, but the painting’s now

perfectly still.

Unsettled, Nina withdraws.

29

INT. APARTMENT BATHROOM - NIGHT 29

Post-shower, Nina’s fuzzy reflection stares back in a steam

covered mirror.

Nina takes her hand and wipes a streak across, to see herself

more clearly.

She looks nervous. The enormity of what’s in front of her

setting in.

She turns side-to-side, scrutinizing her body. She lifts her

arm and pinches the skin to check her weight.

She notices a small cluster of RED BUMPS on her shoulder. A

small RASH.

She feels the bumps with her fingers, bothered.

She checks the same place on her other shoulder.

There’s no rash, just faint streaks of SCAR TISSUE.

Nina slides the hamper in front of the door to block it.

In the mirror now, one of the bumps is scratched and

bleeding.

Nina quickly wipes the blood off with her finger.

The sound of the front door opening steals her attention.

30

INT. UPPER WEST SIDE APARTMENT - NIGHT 30

Nina exits the bathroom wearing a robe.

In the kitchen, she sees a CAKE with a lit SPARKLER sitting

on the table. Her mother smiles anxiously.

23.

ERICA:

My daughter, the Swan Queen.

She opens her arms and Nina falls into a hug.

She looks at the cake. It has a ballerina sketched with

frosting. Nina hides her disdain.

NINA:

Oh, mom.

ERICA:

It’s our favorite, vanilla with

strawberry filling.

Erica picks up a knife and slices into the cake.

NINA:

Just a little piece.

Erica ignores her and starts cutting a very large piece.

NINA (CONT’D)

That’s way too much.

ERICA:

It’s a celebration.

NINA:

My stomach’s still in knots.

ERICA:

(offended)

Fine then.

Erica grabs the whole cake and heads towards the trash.

NINA:

(guilty)

Mom, don’t. I’m sorry.

Erica hesitates, but returns. She sets the cake back down.

ERICA:

I’m just so proud of you.

Erica lifts the slice onto a plate.

NINA:

It looks yummy.

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