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Milena "Mila" Markovna Kunis
(Russian: Милена Маркοвна Кунис; Ukrainian: Мілена Марківна Куніс, Milena
Markivna Kunis; born August 14, 1983) is an American actress. Her
television work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on 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
and Solara in The Book of Eli.
Mila Kunis was born in Chernivtsi, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union to a Jewish
family. 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 also has an older brother. Her family moved to Los Angeles,
California, in 1991. Despite reports to the contrary, Kunis did not learn
English from watching The Price Is Right. 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 taping That '70s Show. When not on
the set, she attended Fairfax Senior High School. She briefly attended
Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.
At age nine, Kunis took acting classes after school at the Beverly Hills
Studios, where she met her first and current manager Susan Curtis. She
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 as Lucy's
nemesis and supporting roles in Santa with Muscles, Honey, We Shrunk
Ourselves, and the Angelina Jolie film Gia, as Gia Carangi's younger self,
prior to her breakthrough role on That '70s Show.
Kunis was cast as Jackie Burkhart in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show in
1998. During the auditions, all people auditioning for the roles in the
show were required to be at least 18 years old, so Kunis told the casting
staff at the audition that she was going to be 18 "on her birthday" not
specifying to which birthday she was referring. She was actually 14 at the
time of the audition and after receiving the part, she was able to
continue in the role despite having misled the directors. She had been
considered the best fit for the character and was thought to have been
creative in her way of gaining the audition despite her age. That '70s
Show ran for eight seasons, becoming the second longest-running
live-action sitcom on Fox.
In 1999, Kunis replaced Lacey Chabert in the role of Meg Griffin on the
animated television sitcom Family Guy, created by Seth MacFarlane for the
Fox Broadcasting Company. The series plot centers on a family called the
Griffins, a dysfunctional family. 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.
Kunis described her character as "the scapegoat." She further explained,
"Meg gets picked on a lot. But it's funny. It's like the middle child. She
is constantly in the state of being an awkward 14-year-old, when you're
kind of going through puberty and what-not. She's just in perpetual mode
of humiliation. And it's fun."
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.
In 2001, she appeared in Get Over It opposite Kirsten Dunst. She starred
in the 2002 straight-to-DVD horror film American Psycho 2 alongside
William Shatner which was a sequel to the 2000 film American Psycho
starring Christian Bale. American Psycho 2 was panned by critics; later,
Kunis herself expressed embarrassment over the film. In 2007, she appeared
in After Sex alongside Zoe Saldana as well as in Boot Camp and Moving
McAllister alongside Jon Heder.
Kunis' breakout film role was Rachel Jansen in the 2008 movie Forgetting
Sarah Marshall. The film was a critical and commercial success. Kunis's
performance was well-received; Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal
praised her "fresh beauty and focused energy", while James Berardinelli
wrote that she "adept with her performance and understands the concept of
comic timing". She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award.
Also in 2008, she starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in the action movie Max
Payne, portraying character Mona Sax. The film is based on the popular
video game of the same name. Max Payne was relatively successful at the
box office but was panned by critics with several reviewers calling Kunis
miscast. However, in 2009, she was nominated for another Teen Choice Award
for her role in the film.
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, Jon Heder, and others.
In 2009, she appeared in the comedy Extract with Ben Affleck and Jason
Bateman . The film received mixed to positive reviews. Justin Chang of
Variety called Kunis "fine", while Roger Ebert, otherwise criticizing
Extract for not being believable, wrote that she "brings her role to
within shouting distance of credibility".
In 2010, she starred alongside Denzel Washington in the action film The
Book of Eli. The film received mixed reviews. Kunis's performance was
praised by Pete Hammond of Boxoffice magazine, who wrote that she's
"ideally cast in the key female role" and 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". Other critics, however, called her miscast.
Kunis has been confirmed to join the comedy Date Night starring Tina Fey
and Steve Carell. She will also play Lilly, Natalie Portman's rival, in
Darren Aronofsky's upcoming Black Swan in late 2010.
Kunis was ranked #54 in Stuff's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002);
Maxim named her #47 on its 2006 Hot 100 list. In 2008, she was ranked #81
on the Maxim Hot 100 list. She was also ranked #81 on the FHM U.S 100
Sexiest Women in the World 2008, although she is unranked in other FHM
magazines from different nations. She is ranked #5 on Maxim's 2009 Hot 100
list. Kunis was also accredited to be one of the "most attractive geeks"
in 2008 by Wired.com due to her much-publicized affinity for World of
Warcraft.
Kunis has been dating actor Macaulay Culkin since 2002. Although there
have been rumors of the couple getting married, Kunis has denied this,
saying:
"I've been engaged. I think I've already been married. And I'm sure I have
a child somewhere. I'm waiting to have something else happen. No, I'm not
married. And no, I'm not engaged. And no, I do not have a child. No one
seems to listen. And next week I'll be engaged again. I think, at one
point, they were like, 'Seen shopping in Beverly Hills for engagement
rings.' We were in Japan working. What is wrong with these people? Half
the time you can say they misconstrued facts. But, more often than not,
they just make stuff up."
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 says she does not use voice chat with
other players in response to claims that some people had recognized her
voice. |
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Black Swan (2010) .... Lilly
Date Night (2010)
"Family Guy" .... Meg Griffin / ... (128 episodes, 1999-2010)
... aka Padre de familia (USA: Spanish title)
- Extra Large Medium (2010) TV episode (voice) .... Meg Griffin
- Dial Meg for Murder (2010) TV episode (voice) .... Meg Griffin
- Big Man on Hippocampus (2010) TV episode (voice) .... Meg Griffin
- Something, Something, Something Dark Side (2009) TV episode
(voice) .... Meg Griffin as Giant Space Slug
- Business Guy (2009) TV episode (voice) .... Meg Griffin
(123 more)
The Book of Eli (2010) .... Solara
Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show (2009)
(TV) (voice) .... Meg Griffin
"The Cleveland Show" .... Meg Griffin (1 episode, 2009)
- Pilot (2009) TV episode (voice) .... Meg Griffin
Extract (2009) .... Cindy
"Robot Chicken" .... Girl / ... (9 episodes, 2005-2009)
- Love, Maurice (2009) TV episode (voice) .... Flora/Mary Lou/Girl
- In a DVD Factory (2008) TV episode (voice) .... Lilly Truscott /
Fan / Girl Scout
- Bionic Cow (2008) TV episode (voice) .... Jane Porter / Mother
- Werewolf vs. Unicorn (2007) TV episode (voice) .... Daniel's Mom /
Dora the Explorer / Pink Game Piece
- Veggies for Sloth (2006) TV episode (voice) .... Betty Cooper /
'Frogette'
(4 more)
Tom Cool (2009)
Max Payne (2008) .... Mona Sax
... aka Max Payne (Canada: French title)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) .... Rachel Jansen
Boot Camp (2007) .... Sophie
Moving McAllister (2007) .... Michelle McAllister
After Sex (2007) .... Nikki
Family Guy (2006) (VG) (voice) .... Meg Griffin
Saints Row (2006) (VG) (voice) .... Tanya
"That '70s Show" .... Jackie Burkhart (201 episodes, 1998-2006)
- Love of My Life (2006) TV episode .... Jackie Burkhart
- That '70s Finale (2006) TV episode .... Jackie Burkhart
- Leaving Home Ain't Easy (2006) TV episode .... Jackie Burkhart
- Special: The Final Goodbye (2006) TV episode .... Jackie Burkhart
- Sheer Heart Attack (2006) TV episode .... Jackie Burkhart
(196 more)
Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005) (V)
(voice) .... Meg Griffin / Additional Voices
"Grounded for Life" .... Lana (2 episodes, 2004)
- The Policy of Truth (2004) TV episode .... Lana
- Space Camp Odditty (2004) TV episode .... Lana
The Latin Lover (2004) .... Girl on street
Tony N' Tina's Wedding (2004) .... Tina
"Get Real" .... Taylor Vaughn (2 episodes, 2000-2002)
- The Last Weekend (2002) TV episode .... Taylor Vaughn
- Tested (2000) TV episode .... Taylor Vaughn
"MADtv" .... Daisy (1 episode, 2002)
- Episode #8.7 (2002) TV episode .... Daisy
American Psycho II: All American Girl (2002) (V) .... Rachael
... aka American Psycho 2 (USA: short title)
Get Over It (2001) .... Basin
... aka Get Over It! (USA: promotional title)
Milo (1998) (uncredited) .... Martice
Krippendorf's Tribe (1998) .... Abbey Tournquist
Gia (1998) (TV) .... Gia - Age 11
"Pensacola: Wings of Gold" .... Jessie Kerwood (1 episode, 1998)
- Company Town (1998) TV episode .... Jessie Kerwood
"7th Heaven" .... Ashley (4 episodes, 1996-1997)
... aka 7th Heaven: Beginnings (USA: rerun title)
... aka Seventh Heaven
- Truth or Dare (1997) TV episode .... Ashley
- See You in September (1997) TV episode .... Ashley
- With a Little Help from My Friends (1997) TV episode .... Ashley
- Saturday (1996) TV episode .... Ashley
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997) (V) .... Jill, Party Guest
"Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher" .... Anna-Maria Del Bono (5 episodes,
1996-1997)
... aka Nick Freno (Australia)
- Sumo Like It Hot (1997) TV episode .... Anna-Maria Del Bono
- Leader of the Pack (1996) TV episode .... Anna-Maria Del Bono
- The Mystery of Fust's Bust (1996) TV episode .... Anna-Maria Del
Bono
- Some Assembly Required (1996) TV episode .... Anna-Maria Del Bono
- Dance Fever (1996) TV episode .... Anna-Maria Del Bono
"Walker, Texas Ranger" .... Pepper (1 episode, 1997)
... aka Walker (Australia)
- Last Hope (1997) TV episode .... Pepper
Santa with Muscles (1996) .... Sarah
"Unhappily Ever After" .... Chloe (1 episode, 1996)
... aka Unhappily...
- In the Stars (1996) TV episode .... Chloe
"Baywatch" .... Anne / ... (2 episodes, 1994-1995)
... aka Baywatch Hawaii (USA: new title)
- Hot Stuff (1995) TV episode .... Bonnie
- Aftershock (1994) TV episode .... Anne
"Hudson Street" .... Devon (1 episode, 1995)
- Here's Just Looking at You, Kid (1995) TV episode .... Devon
Piranha (1995) (TV) .... Susie Grogan
... aka Roger Corman Presents Piranha
Make a Wish, Molly (1995) .... Melinda
"The John Larroquette Show" .... Lucy (1 episode, 1995)
... aka Larroquette (USA: promotional abbreviation)
- The Defiant One (1995) TV episode .... Lucy |
