Mila Kunis: I Don't Rely On Being Pretty
by Parade.com Thursday September 03, 2009, 10:08 AM
Mila Kunis goes for laughs in primetime as the voice of Meg Griffin in the wildly dysfunctional FOX hit Family Guy.
Now she's on the big screen in Extract, a dark and wacky comedy from Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill). She's a drifter with a criminal past who knows how to take advantage of what a small town has to offer. Parade.com's Jeanne Wolf found out why Kunis doesn't want to be confused with her character.
Playing a girl of doubtful reputation.
"Who wouldn't want to be a slut who's also a thief and pathological liar? It's great. You get to get away with everything. Actually, I'm getting tired of people asking me if I feel a connection to her and what I drew on from my own life. Do you think that I go off and steal stuff, shoplift every day and sleep around? I was playing a character. It was just more like the girl's got to do what she's got to do. I think that a lot of it comes from growing up a certain way. I assumed that was all she knew."
See exclusive photos of Mila Kunis
Watch the video
The power of pretty may be overrated.
"I think some pretty girls do rely solely on their looks to get by. That's what they know and that's their strength. I'm not saying I haven't tried, but I just can't manipulate and con people. It doesn't work for me. I can't even get out of a traffic ticket. I got one a few days ago for making an illegal left-hand turn. I was fully aware I was making this turn, which I've made every day for seven years. Finally, I got pulled over. I tried like talk my way out it, but it didn't work. Maybe Megan Fox can do it, I can't do it."
Providing the voice of Meg on the Emmy-nominated Family Guy.
"I gasp a lot. I never get offended, but there are certain episodes that have me going, 'Can they put this on the air in primetime?' Actually, there was an abortion episode that never was aired. It's coming out on DVD. I read the script and I was like, 'People are going to flip. There's no way.' But to me, it was the funniest episode of the season and so brilliant even though it got rejected by the network."
See photos of Famous Animated Voices
Staying on her toes.
"I'm going to be playing a ballet dancer in Black Swan, and I've been studying for the past month, seven days a week, five hours a day. I'm doing ballet, cardio and Pilates. I have two more months of work before filming begins. I did ballet as a kid like every other kid does ballet. You wear a tutu and you stand on stage and you look cute and twirl. But this is very different because you can't fake it. You can't just stay in there and like pretend you know what you're doing. Your whole body has to be structured differently. So I'm learning every day."
Loving off-the-wall roles when she can get them.
"Who wants to be normal? You can be normal in everyday life. Why do that when you're an actor? I do have such an amazing job being able to play crazy characters like this girl in Extract and Mona Sax in Max Payne who was a merciless assassin. I like to play normal people as well, don't get me wrong. But I just did Date Night with Mark Wahlberg and I play a stripper who is psychotic and running around in a T-shirt and cowboy boots. You don't get to do that very often in real life. And it's fun."
Surviving the recession.
"Doing That 70' Show for eight years and now Family Guy has given me the luxury to not have to work for the sake of working. I don't have to do movies anymore that I'm not necessarily proud of. I am, knock on wood, in a fantastic position in my life when it comes to security. And given today's economy, having financial security is a blessing, to say the least. So I'm allowed to be picky with the projects I choose and having that luxury in this industry is not very common."
Celebrity Salaries â€" Revealed!
Remembering tougher times.
"When we lived in Russia we were fine. Then we moved to the States and we were poor, but I didn't know we were poor until I met a really wealthy person. Possessions were never that important to me and they still aren't. I'm lucky. I have a house. I have a roof over my head."
Putting a myth to rest.
"I did not learn English from The Price Is Right. I made a statement when I was 14 that is going to haunt me the rest of my life about how I used to watch The Price Is Right when I was learning English. It just happened to be on TV before I went to school. It wasn't something I was consciously aware of. But somehow that ended up becoming that I learned English through listening to Bob Barker! God bless him."
Now she's on the big screen in Extract, a dark and wacky comedy from Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill). She's a drifter with a criminal past who knows how to take advantage of what a small town has to offer. Parade.com's Jeanne Wolf found out why Kunis doesn't want to be confused with her character.
Playing a girl of doubtful reputation.
"Who wouldn't want to be a slut who's also a thief and pathological liar? It's great. You get to get away with everything. Actually, I'm getting tired of people asking me if I feel a connection to her and what I drew on from my own life. Do you think that I go off and steal stuff, shoplift every day and sleep around? I was playing a character. It was just more like the girl's got to do what she's got to do. I think that a lot of it comes from growing up a certain way. I assumed that was all she knew."
See exclusive photos of Mila Kunis
Watch the video
The power of pretty may be overrated.
"I think some pretty girls do rely solely on their looks to get by. That's what they know and that's their strength. I'm not saying I haven't tried, but I just can't manipulate and con people. It doesn't work for me. I can't even get out of a traffic ticket. I got one a few days ago for making an illegal left-hand turn. I was fully aware I was making this turn, which I've made every day for seven years. Finally, I got pulled over. I tried like talk my way out it, but it didn't work. Maybe Megan Fox can do it, I can't do it."
Providing the voice of Meg on the Emmy-nominated Family Guy.
"I gasp a lot. I never get offended, but there are certain episodes that have me going, 'Can they put this on the air in primetime?' Actually, there was an abortion episode that never was aired. It's coming out on DVD. I read the script and I was like, 'People are going to flip. There's no way.' But to me, it was the funniest episode of the season and so brilliant even though it got rejected by the network."
See photos of Famous Animated Voices
Staying on her toes.
"I'm going to be playing a ballet dancer in Black Swan, and I've been studying for the past month, seven days a week, five hours a day. I'm doing ballet, cardio and Pilates. I have two more months of work before filming begins. I did ballet as a kid like every other kid does ballet. You wear a tutu and you stand on stage and you look cute and twirl. But this is very different because you can't fake it. You can't just stay in there and like pretend you know what you're doing. Your whole body has to be structured differently. So I'm learning every day."
Loving off-the-wall roles when she can get them.
"Who wants to be normal? You can be normal in everyday life. Why do that when you're an actor? I do have such an amazing job being able to play crazy characters like this girl in Extract and Mona Sax in Max Payne who was a merciless assassin. I like to play normal people as well, don't get me wrong. But I just did Date Night with Mark Wahlberg and I play a stripper who is psychotic and running around in a T-shirt and cowboy boots. You don't get to do that very often in real life. And it's fun."
Surviving the recession.
"Doing That 70' Show for eight years and now Family Guy has given me the luxury to not have to work for the sake of working. I don't have to do movies anymore that I'm not necessarily proud of. I am, knock on wood, in a fantastic position in my life when it comes to security. And given today's economy, having financial security is a blessing, to say the least. So I'm allowed to be picky with the projects I choose and having that luxury in this industry is not very common."
Celebrity Salaries â€" Revealed!
Remembering tougher times.
"When we lived in Russia we were fine. Then we moved to the States and we were poor, but I didn't know we were poor until I met a really wealthy person. Possessions were never that important to me and they still aren't. I'm lucky. I have a house. I have a roof over my head."
Putting a myth to rest.
"I did not learn English from The Price Is Right. I made a statement when I was 14 that is going to haunt me the rest of my life about how I used to watch The Price Is Right when I was learning English. It just happened to be on TV before I went to school. It wasn't something I was consciously aware of. But somehow that ended up becoming that I learned English through listening to Bob Barker! God bless him."
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