Mila Kunis has established herself as one of
Hollywood’s most sought-after, vivacious and engaging actresses. Since beginning
her career in acting, she has already fostered an impressive body of work that
includes major motion picture and television roles. It is rare to find
that star whose dark eyes and Mona Lisa
smile hide impeccable timing and amazing comedy skills; Mila Kunis, though, is
that actor. After years on "That '70s Show," Kunis seems to have
found her feet with the one-two punch of her work in "Black Swan" and
in her new film "Ted," playing the long-time, long-suffering
girlfriend of Mark Wahlberg's John, whose best friend is a magical, talking
reprobate stuffed bear.
Can
you explain why you wanted to get on board this project? You have worked with
Seth before.
The
truth is that I was about 24-years old when Seth told me that he had this
script he wanted me to read. He was looking for some suggestions as to which
actress might be right for the part. At that point, the character was in her
thirties. I gave him names of some actresses who I thought would be great for
the role. Over the next few years, there have been a few revisions to the
script and I gave him various names that would fit the revisions. By this time,
I was old enough to actually play the part (laughs). Seth said, “why don’t you
just do it? And I said okay.
Didn’t
you once get a part by lying about your age?
I
was 14-years old and yet to be legally emancipated. I walked into the audition for That 70’s Show and when they asked me if
I was 18, I answered, “soon.”
Having worked with
Seth on Family Guy, what difference in his style did you see between the two
sets?
Well, we have no set on Family Guy.
We just go into a recording studio and record our voices. The way that
MacFarlane deals with me on a weekly basis for Family Guy is just by talking to me. We have a short hand.
Was
there a challenge at all working on this project?
I
didn’t have one. It was a great process with people I love, adore and respect.
Honestly, my biggest challenge was the weather in Boston. I said it as a joke
but it is true. It would go from rainy to cold to windy to humid all in a span
of four hours. The weather in Boston sucked. That was my biggest challenge. The
people were fantastic though.
Did
you ever have anything as a kid, like a stuffed animal, that you gave a real
life to?
No,
I think it is wonderful but I was not that kid. I was outside a lot with my
brother. I grew up in a very different time and place. My god-daughter has a
lamb that she calls Meow. She will not go anywhere without him. She puts him to
bed when she goes to school. That is the kind of relationship we see in TED.
Was
there a childhood wish that you had? Kids are always wishing for something magical.
I
never did. I am sure I wanted a lot of things when I was little though.
Were
you a Barbie-doll kind of girl?
No,
I didn’t play with toys. I played soccer and climbed trees. My knees and legs
are completely scarred. I was outside all the time. My dad used to go on all
these business trips and bring me back the most incredible dolls. I had no
interest in them.
What
is your best childhood memory?
I
was five-years old and my grandfather was lying on the couch in the living
room. It was in Russia and this was right before New Year’s. We didn’t
celebrate Christmas as we do here, so New Year’s was the big thing. As a kid, I
would get bubblegum and tangerines for New Year’s. I don’t know what else to
compare it to but that was the best gift you could give a kid at that time. My
grandfather sat down and told me what the Holocaust was. He told me in a loving
way. He was explaining to me what I was given and how lucky I was to get those
tangerines and bubblegum. When he was younger, this is what he went through. It
was not dark or a sad moment. It was an amazing memory that I have. I cannot
tell you exactly what he said. I just remember him lying on the couch and
talking to me. He was just telling me the story and I was eating my tangerines.
That is my favorite memory.
So
as we see in the movie, when you do meet a guy you like, how do you balance
that with his group of crazy friends?
If
you love this guy and he has these crazy friends, you just have to accept him
for everything. You are not going to change who he is. Maybe he will change
with you and maybe he will want to make compromises for you. You cannot expect
it to happen nor should you assume that he will do it. You can’t give him
ultimatums or pressure him to do it. My answer would be that if you love him,
you love all of him.
In
TED, your character has to put up with your boyfriend’s crazy roommate. Have
you ever had to deal with a crazy roommate?
I
have never had a roommate in my life until recently. Now I live with my best
friend. Last year, I only spent three weeks in L.A., so I needed someone to
take care of my dog. I need someone there I can trust. He is not really a
roommate. He is my best friend.
What
kind of dog do you have?
I
have Audrey. She is my English bulldog. She is kicking it and will be around
for a while. My other dog, Shorty, passed away.
With
some of the men you have known in your life, what kind of eccentricities have
they brought to the table? I am sure they don’t bring a stuffed teddy bear, but
what do they have?
Does
paparazzi following them around count as their stuffed doll? In TED, my
boyfriend has the world’s only talking stuffed teddy bear, so at this point you
just have to go with the reality of it. If it is real and everyone sees it,
then it becomes the norm. I cannot think of any guy that I have in my life that
has this sort of thing. Maybe my friends are too normal.
Does
it help that your boyfriend, in TED, was Mark Wahlberg?
Mark
is the nicest sweetest guy.
What
about the concept of a guy doing something special for you? Can something be
too silly or stupid?
I
think anything a guy does for you is not silly. I will take it.
What
about singing to you off-key in public?
If
a guy sang a song to me that meant something to the two of us, I am sold. I am
very easily pleased. As long as there is heart and soul put into it, that’s all
it takes.
At
the beginning of the movie when Ted first starts to get famous, there is that
line from the TV that gives a laundry list of young kid stars, including Justin
Bieber, that came and went as a fad. Starting out in TV, we have seen a lot of
kids who have become very famous and then are never to be seen again. You were
able to make the transition. Were you ever worried that you wouldn’t be able to
continue your career? Did you think you could make the jump to film?
I
ended That 70’s Show when I was
22-years old and there was a period when I knew I had to make a decision if I
wanted this to be a career. I didn’t think I was going to be able to do this
for the rest of my life nor did I go into it thinking that this would be my
career. I grew up thinking that you couldn’t have a job without having a degree
first. I just thought a full career of this was not an option. When I realized
this wasn’t the case, I knew I could do something with my life more than what
other people told me I could do. So here I am and having come off a successful
show for eight years. I don’t live a lavish lifestyle. I am smart with money
and financial dealings so I knew I could be smart with my career.
Was
BLACK SWAN the turning point?
BLACK
SWAN happened because of FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. Everything happens because
of something else.
Where
did that passion to persevere come from?
The
industry is full of no’s and rejections. I knew that the only way I could have
this career was to prove people wrong. I knew I had to let go of my ego. After That 70’s Show, I could have gone and
just done television. Not that I didn’t love doing TV. It is a steady job that
allows me to see my family a lot but when I turned 22-years old, I knew I
wanted to travel and see the world. I also needed to test myself because I knew
there was so much more that I could do. The only way I could do that was to
prove myself. People always kept saying I was funny but I had to show them that
there was so much more to me.
Is
there one role that stands out more for you?
I
am proud of everything that I have done. When I turned 22, I knew that all of
the decisions that I made career-wise would be for all the right reasons. I
would be proud of the work that I did regardless of the outcome. I knew I
couldn’t predict the outcome.
What
are your hopes for TED?
I
just hope people are entertained by it. This is not brain surgery. We are not
curing the world of anything other than providing entertainment and laughter.
That would be the only thing I would hope for with this film.
“TED” is released and distributed by United International Pictures
through Solar Entertainment Corp.
