Milena "Mila" Kunis (; born August 14, 1983; ) is an actress who has starred in American films and television. Her work includes the role of
Jackie Burkhart on the TV series ''
That '70s Show'' and the voice of
Meg Griffin on the
animated series ''
Family Guy''. She has also played roles in film, such as Rachel Jansen in ''
Forgetting Sarah Marshall'',
Mona Sax in ''
Max Payne'', Solara in ''
The Book of Eli'' and Jamie in ''
Friends with Benefits''.
In 2010, she won the ''Marcello Mastroianni Award'' for Best Young Actor or Actress at the 67th Venice International Film Festival for her performance as Lily in ''Black Swan''. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for the same role.
Early life
Kunis was born in
Chernivtsi in the
Ukrainian SSR. Her mother, Elvira, is a
physics teacher and drug store manager, and her father, Mark Kunis, is a
mechanical engineer and cab company executive. She has an older brother, Michael. She has said that her parents "raised me Jewish as much as they could", though
religion was suppressed in the Soviet Union.
Kunis has stated that a lottery system allowed her family to make the move: "It took about five years. If you got chosen the first time around, you went to Moscow, where there was another lottery, and you maybe got chosen again. Then you could come to the States." On her second day in Los Angeles, she was enrolled at Rosewood Elementary School not knowing a word of English. "I blocked out second grade," she says. "I don't remember, but my mom tells me that I came home and cried every day. I wasn't that traumatized. It was just a shock." Kunis added: "I didn't understand the culture. I didn't understand the people. I didn't understand the language. My first sentence of my essay to get into college was like, 'Imagine being blind and deaf at age seven.' And that's kind of what it felt like moving to the States."
In Los Angeles, she attended Hubert Howe Bancroft Middle School. She was mostly taught by an on-set tutor for her high school years while filming ''That '70s Show''. When not on the set, she attended Fairfax High School, where she graduated in 2001. She briefly attended UCLA and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Career
Television
At age nine, Kunis' father enrolled her in acting classes after school at the
Beverly Hills Studios, where she met her first and still current manager Susan Curtis. Said Kunis: "My parents told her, 'Listen, we can't afford head shots; we can't afford anything. We can't take her to auditions because we work full-time.' ... [Curtis] said, 'Don't worry. I'll fix everything,' and she did. I ended up getting the first thing I went out for, which was a Barbie commercial. All my parents said was, 'You can do whatever you want to do as long as you get A's and stay in school.'" Kunis began appearing in print-ads,
catalogues, and
TV commercials for children's products like
Lisa Frank products,
Mattel's
Barbie, and
Payless Shoes. She also modeled for a
Guess girls' clothing campaign. Her first TV role was as the young Hope Williams on an episode of the popular soap opera ''
Days of our Lives''. She had a minor role on ''
7th Heaven'' and supporting roles in ''
Santa with Muscles'', ''
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves'', and the
Angelina Jolie film ''
Gia'', as the young
Gia Carangi.
In 1998, Kunis was cast as Jackie Burkhart in the Fox sitcom ''That '70s Show''. All who auditioned were required to be at least 18 years old; Kunis, who was 14 at the time, told the casting directors she'd be 18 but did not say when. Though they eventually figured it out, the producers still thought Kunis was the best fit for the role. Kunis expressed some frustration with working on one show for so long. "Eight years of doing the same [show] felt like being behind a desk, and I lost my drive," she says. However, she quickly "had an epiphany. I decided I wasn't going to take my career so seriously and make my job who I am. I just want to be happy with my life." created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series starred MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green and Mike Henry. Kunis won the role after auditions and a slight rewrite of the character, in part due to her performance on ''That '70s Show''. MacFarlane called Kunis back after her first audition, instructing her to speak slower, and then told her to come back another time and enunciate more. Once she claimed that she had it under control, MacFarlane hired her. MacFarlane added: "What Mila Kunis brought to it was in a lot of ways, I thought, almost more right for the character. I say that Lacey did a phenomenal job, but there was something about Mila – something very natural about Mila. She was 15 when she started, so you were listening to a 15-year-old. Which oftentimes with animation they'll have adult actors doing the voices of teenagers and they always sound like Saturday morning voices. They sound, oftentimes, very forced. She had a very natural quality to Meg that really made what we did with that character kind of really work." Kunis was nominated for an Annie Award in the category of Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production in 2007. She also voiced Meg in the ''Family Guy Video Game!''. Kunis described her character as "the scapegoat."
Film work, 2001–2008
In 2001, she appeared in ''
Get Over It'' opposite
Kirsten Dunst. She followed that up in 2002, by starring in the straight-to-DVD horror film ''
American Psycho 2'' alongside
William Shatner, a sequel to the 2000 film ''
American Psycho''. ''American Psycho 2'' was panned by critics, and later, Kunis herself expressed embarrassment over the film. In 2004, Kunis starred in ''
Tony n' Tina's Wedding''. Although the film was shot in 2004, it did not have a theatrical release until 2007. Most critics did not like the film, which mustered a 25% approval from Rotten Tomatoes. ''DVD talk'' concluded that "fans would be much better off pretending the movie never happened in the first place".
In 2005, Kunis co-starred with Jon Heder in ''Moving McAllister'', which was not released theatrically until 2007. The film received generally poor reviews and had a limited two week run in theaters. She followed up with ''After Sex'' starring alongside her ''Get Over It'' costar Zoe Saldana. In October 2006, she began filming ''Boot Camp'' (originally titled ''Straight Edge''). Although the film did not have a theatrical release in the United States, it was released on DVD on August 25, 2009.
Kunis starred as Rachel Jansen in the 2008 comedy, ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'', co-produced by Judd Apatow. The role, which she got after unsuccessfully auditioning for ''Knocked Up'', entailed improvisation on her part. The film garnered positive reviews, and was a commercial success, grossing $105 million worldwide. Kunis' performance was well-received; Joe Morgenstern of ''The Wall Street Journal'' praised her "fresh beauty and focused energy", while James Berardinelli wrote that she is "adept with her performance and understands the concept of comic timing". She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award. In an interview, Kunis credited Apatow with helping her to expand her career from ''That '70s Show''.
Also in 2008, she portrayed Mona Sax, a Russian assassin, alongside Mark Wahlberg in the action movie ''Max Payne'', based on the video game of the same name. Kunis underwent training in guns, boxing, and martial arts for her role. ''Max Payne'' was relatively successful at the box office, grossing $85 million worldwide but was panned by critics, with several reviewers calling Kunis miscast. Director John Moore defended his choice of Kunis, saying, "Mila just bowled us over...She wasn't an obvious choice, but she just wears Mona so well. We needed someone who would not be just a fop or foil to Max; we needed somebody who had to be that character and convey her own agenda. I think Mila just knocked it out of the park." She was nominated for another Teen Choice Award for her role in the film.
2009–present
In 2009, she appeared in the comedy ''
Extract'' with
Ben Affleck and
Jason Bateman. The film received mostly positive reviews, and grossed $10.8 million at the box office.
Roger Ebert, while critical of the film itself, wrote that Kunis "brings her role to within shouting distance of credibility." Director
Mike Judge commented that part of what was surprising to learn about Kunis was her ability to make references to the cult animation film ''
Rejected''. Judge said: "As beautiful as Mila is, you could believe that maybe she would cross paths with you in the real world." After seeing Kunis perform in ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'', Judge wanted to cast her in the role of Cindy in ''Extract'': "I just thought, 'Wow, this girl's perfect.' And she really wanted to do it, which was fantastic." Said Kunis, "I'm a huge fan of Mike Judge's from ''Office Space'', so I was, like, 'Okay, this is a very easy decision.' I told them I would do anything needed to be in this production – like craft service, or, say, acting."
In 2010, she starred alongside Denzel Washington in the action film ''The Book of Eli''. Although the film received mixed reviews, it performed well at the box office, grossing over $157 million worldwide. Film critic Richard Roeper praised Kunis' performance, calling it a "particularly strong piece of work". Several other reviews were equally positive of her performance, including Pete Hammond of ''Boxoffice'' magazine, who wrote that she's "ideally cast in the key female role" Even reviewers who did not necessarily like the film complimented her performance, such as James Berardinelli, who stated that "the demands of the role prove to be within her range, which is perhaps surprising considering she has been thus far pigeonholed into more lightweight parts", and Colin Covert of the ''Star Tribune'', who wrote that she "generated a spark and brought a degree of determination to her character, developing an independent female character who's not always in need of rescuing." Some critics, however, called her miscast. Kunis received another Teen Choice Award nomination for her performance. Kunis was also cast in a minor role in the 2010 comedy ''Date Night'', starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell. She garnered several positive reviews for her performance.
She and Natalie Portman played rival ballet dancers in Darren Aronofsky's ''Black Swan''. Kunis, who was cast in the film based on her performance in ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'', and on the recommendation of costar Natalie Portman, underwent a training regimen that included cardiovascular exercise, a 1,200-calorie a day diet (she lost 20 pounds that she regained after filming ended), and ballet classes for four hours a day, seven days a week. During the demanding production, she suffered injuries including a torn ligament and a dislocated shoulder. ''Black Swan'' has received widespread acclaim from critics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film has become Kunis's most financially successful to date, including being the first film she has starred in that has grossed over $100 million (106.9 million) in the US and Canada while grossing over 328 million worldwide. Reviews of Kunis' performance have been positive, with Kirk Honeycutt of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' stating, "Kunis makes a perfect alternate to Portman, equally as lithe and dark but a smirk of self-assurance in place of Portman's wide-eyed fearfulness." Guy Lodge of In Contention also praised Kunis, saying, "it's the cool, throaty-voiced Kunis who is the surprise package here, intelligently watching and reflecting her co-star in such a manner that we're as uncertain as Nina of her ingenuousness." Kunis' performance won her the ''Marcello Mastroianni Award'' for Best Young Actor or Actress at the 67th Venice International Film Festival, and earned her Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. At the 37th annual Saturn Awards she was also honored with the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance.
Kunis was cast alongside Justin Timberlake in the romantic comedy ''Friends with Benefits'', which filmed from July to September 2010, in New York City and Los Angeles. Director Will Gluck stated that he wrote the story with Kunis and Timberlake in mind. "There were a couple of actors I wanted to work with, so I wrote it for Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. I wanted to do more of an adult movie about sex, too, and about relationships." ''Friends with Benefits'' received mostly positive reviews with critics praising the chemistry between Kunis and Timberlake. Manohla Dargis of ''The New York Times'' wrote that "Ms. Kunis is fast proving that she's a gift that keeps giving to mainstream romantic comedy" and "her energy is so invigorating and expansive and her presence so vibrant that she fills the screen".
Kunis has confirmed that her next project will be ''Ted'', co-starring Mark Wahlberg, and directed and co-written by ''Family Guy'' creator Seth MacFarlane. She will follow up ''Ted'' with the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures' prequel, ''Oz: The Great and Powerful'', where she will play Theodora, the youngest of three witches, opposite James Franco.
Media publicity
Kunis was ranked No.54 in ''
Stuff'''s "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002); ''
Maxim'' named her No.47 on its 2006 Hot 100 list. In 2008, she was ranked No.81 on the ''Maxim'' Hot 100 list. She was also ranked No.81 on the ''
FHM'' U.S 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2008, although she is unranked in other ''FHM'' magazines from different nations. Kunis was also described as one of the "most attractive geeks" in 2008, by
Wired.com due to her much-publicized affinity for ''
World of Warcraft''. The same year, she was featured and on the cover of the October issue of ''
Complex Magazine''. In 2007, Kunis participated in a video for the website ''
Funny or Die'' appearing alongside
James Franco. The video was a parody of the MTV show ''
The Hills'' and was a huge success for the website, with well over one million views.
Shawn Levy, director of ''Date Night'', stated that part of what made him decide to cast Kunis with James Franco in the film was the chemistry he felt they had in the ''Funny or Die'' video. In December 2008, Kunis was featured in
Gap's "Shine Your Own Star" Christmas campaign with other celebrities such as
Jennifer Hudson,
Jason Bateman,
Mary-Louise Parker, and
Jon Heder.
In 2009, she was ranked No.5 in "Maxim Magazine's Hot 100" list. In addition, she won the award for "Hottest Mila" at the 2009 Spike Guys' Choice Awards beating out Milla Jovovich. Also in 2009, Premiere.com ranked Mila the most beautiful woman in Hollywood. In 2010, she was featured in the "Women We Love" segment in ''Esquire'' with an accompanied video. For the 2010 "Maxim Magazine Hot 100", Kunis ranked #22, and for the 2010 FHM Hot 100 list she ranked #17. Kunis has kept this type of media attention in perspective, saying, "You've got to base your career on something other than being FHM's top 100 No. 1 girl. Your looks are going to die out, and then what's going to be left?" For the October 2010 ''Elle'' magazine 25th anniversary special edition, Kunis was one of the women chosen to be featured for their success at a young age. The honor included a photo and video presentation on the magazine's website. Kunis was among several female stars photographed by Canadian singer/songwriter Bryan Adams in conjunction with the ''Calvin Klein Collections'' for a feature titled ''American Women 2010'', with the proceeds from the photographs donated to the NYC AIDS foundation. Also in 2010, Kunis was featured and on the cover of the December issue of Nylon.
In 2011, Kunis graced the cover of the February issue of ''Cosmopolitan'' and the March issue of W magazine. For the 2011 edition of the top 99 most desirable women, ''Askmen.com'' ranked Kunis #2. Also in 2011, Kunis ranked No.5 on the Maxim Hot 100 list. At the 2011 Spike Guys' Choice Awards Kunis received the ''Holy Grail of Hot'' award beating out Minka Kelly. In support of her film ''Friends with Benefits'' she landed on the cover of ''Elle magazine'' and ''GQ magazine''.
Personal life
Kunis has spoken with affection about her parents and has credited them for being a positive influence and keeping her focused on what is important in life. "I had a normal upbringing and went to public school," she says. "If I ever, even for a second, started getting a big head, I was brought back to reality pretty quickly. My parents are why I'm pretty grounded." At one time there were rumors of the couple getting married, but Kunis denied them, saying: }}
In an interview with ''BlackBook Magazine'' Kunis stated that marriage is "not something that's important to me". Kunis said she tried her best to protect her and Culkin's privacy, noting that "We don't talk about it to the press. It's already more high profile than I want it to be." When questioned if it was difficult to stay out of the tabloids and press, Kunis responded: "I keep my personal life as personal as I physically, mentally, possibly can." Asked if that is difficult she said, "I don't care. I will go to my grave trying. It is hard, but I'll end up going to a bar that's a hole in the wall. I won't go to the "it's-happening" place." On January 3, 2011, Kunis' publicist confirmed reports that Kunis and Culkin had ended their relationship, saying "The split was amicable, and they remain close friends".
She has identified herself in interviews as a fan of the online computer game ''World of Warcraft'' and has received a certain amount of attention from the game's fan community as a result. She has not released what server she is in but says she is with her close friends in the Alliance. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she said she does not use voice chat in the game after another player recognized her voice. Although Kunis has described herself as a "computer nerd", she does not have a Myspace, Facebook or Twitter account. Kunis discussed her desire for privacy as she explained why she is not on ''Facebook'' or ''Twitter.'' "Why would I want to share my life with the world when it's being shared already, without my consent? The only problem with not having an account is that there are fake accounts, pretending to quote me. But what am I going to tweet about?
In an interview with ''H Magazine'' Kunis stated that she does not devote as much time to ''World of Warcraft'' anymore, but enjoys hanging out with her friends when she can. "When we have 'friends night' and we all get together, we play board games like ''The Settlers of Catan''." She also mentioned that she and her friends enjoy doing Murder Mystery tours, where they drive around the Los Angeles area exploring locations of famous murders that have taken place. Kunis also enjoys traveling, and often goes on trips with her older brother, Michael. She and Michael have explored countries such as Fiji and Korea. "I like the way he travels," she explains. "He grabs a map, says, 'Let's walk,' and makes you explore."
In January 2011, she revealed publicly for the first time her struggle with an eye condition called chronic iritis that had caused blindness in one eye. However, a couple of months earlier she had surgery that corrected the problem.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
! Year
|
! Award
|
! Category
|
! Title of work
|
! Result
|
1999
|
Young Artist Award
|
Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Ensemble
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
1999
|
YoungStar Award
|
Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy TV Series
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2000
|
|
TV – Choice Actress
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2000
|
Young Artist Award
|
Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Ensemble
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2000
|
YoungStar Award
|
Best Young Actress/Performance in a Comedy TV Series
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2001
|
Teen Choice Award
|
TV – Choice Actress
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2001
|
Young Artist Award
|
Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Leading Young Actress
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2002
|
Teen Choice Award
|
TV – Choice Actress
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2002
|
Young Hollywood Award
|
One to Watch – Female
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2003
|
Teen Choice Award
|
Choice TV Actress – Comedy
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2004
|
Teen Choice Award
|
Choice TV Actress – Comedy
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2005
|
Teen Choice Award
|
Choice – TV Actress: Comedy
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2006
|
Teen Choice Award
|
TV – Choice Actress: Comedy
|
''That '70s Show''
|
|
2007
|
Annie Award
|
Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production
|
''Family Guy''
|
|
2008
|
Teen Choice Award
|
Choice Movie Breakout Female
|
''Forgetting Sarah Marshall''
|
|
2009
|
Guys Choice Awards
|
Hottest Mila
|
N/A
|
|
2009
|
Teen Choice Award
|
Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure
|
|
|
2010
|
Teen Choice Award
|
Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure
|
''The Book of Eli''
|
|
2010
|
Scream Awards
|
Best Science Fiction Actress
|
''The Book of Eli''
|
|
2010
|
|
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actress
|
|
|
2010
|
68th Golden Globe Awards
|
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2010
|
Screen Actors Guild Awards
|
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2010
|
Screen Actors Guild Awards
|
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2010
|
Broadcast Film Critics Association
|
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2010
|
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association
|
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2010
|
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle
|
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2010
|
Las Vegas Film Critics Society
|
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2010
|
Utah Film Critics Association
|
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2010
|
Online Film Critics Society
|
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2011
|
Saturn Awards
|
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2011
|
MTV Movie Awards
|
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2011
|
Guys Choice Awards
|
Holy Grail of Hot
|
N/A
|
|
2011
|
Guys Choice Awards
|
Best Girl On Girl Scene (with Natalie Portman)
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2011
|
Teen Choice Award
|
Choice Movie: Liplock
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2011
|
Teen Choice Award
|
Choice Movie: Female Scene Stealer
|
''Black Swan''
|
|
2011
|
Teen Choice Award
|
Choice Female Hottie
|
N/A
|
|
2011
|
Teen Choice Award
|
Choice Summer Movie Star: Female
|
|
|
References
External links
Category:1983 births
Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California
Category:American child actors
Category:American film actors
Category:American Jews
Category:American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
Category:American television actors
Category:American voice actors
Category:Bukovina Jews
Category:Family Guy
Category:Jewish actors
Category:Living people
Category:People from Chernivtsi
Category:Saturn Award winners
Category:Soviet emigrants to the United States
Category:Ukrainian emigrants to the United States
Category:Ukrainian film actors
Category:Ukrainian Jews
Category:Ukrainian women
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ms:Mila Kunis
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zh:米娜·古妮丝