five questions: mila kunis
From the big screen to Jim Beam…
Ever since the tender age of 14, when Kunis nabbed her first major role playing Jackie on Fox’s hit sitcom That ‘70s Show, we’ve been saying one thing and one thing only: more Mila! And lucky for us, we have yet to be disappointed.
Now, over a decade later, the talented actress' list of accolades spans far and wide. From starring roles in movies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Oz the Great and Powerful to voicing the character of Meg Griffin on Family Guy (and not to mention, an appearance in NYLON Guys during the fall of 2008), Kunis can do it all. But her newest gig isn’t so much about the big screen as it is about the bourbon.
Helping Jim Beam launch its first-ever global marketing campaign and taking on the role of the brand’s first global spokesperson, the newest face of the more than 200-year old company has already mastered the Kentucky chew. And thanks to our little sit-down with Kunis herself, we learned what exactly a Kentucky chew is, a bit about her new movie Jupiter Ascending, and a few more details about Mila that come in the form of our five questions.
I know you were up in Kentucky at the Jim Beam facilities (you can watch the clip HERE). How was that whole experience?
I loved it! I think that’s what made me want to work with this company. I mean everyone that works there is so family-based and it’s such an organic company. It was so great because they take pride in what they do and they want to work with you and hear your opinions. I also learned what a Kentucky chew was! Which is so bizarre [she demonstrates the chew for us]. You chew the bourbon so that each part of your mouth gets to experience the individual flavors. And you know what else I learned? When you breathe in bourbon, you open your mouth so you feel it through your mouth.
Has Bourbon always been your drink of choice?
It really hasn’t honestly. It maybe became my go to drink four years ago when I started to appreciate—this is going to sound really stupid [laughs]—but I never really understood the concept of drinking without having to get drunk. So I think the older you get, the more you realize you have to slow it down with the shots. I learned how to appreciate alcohol for what it actually is. And Bourbon, being the type of spirit where you actually sip it and enjoy it, was such a nice change of pace for me.
You have new movie coming out this summer. Can you talk a little bit about Jupiter Ascending and what drew you to that role?
Well, it’s a crazy movie [laughs]. It’s kind of hard to explain. But Channing Tatum and I wanted to work together and this opportunity came up. We both read the script and thought it was awesome, so we decided it would be a really cool opportunity to do a sci-fi movie that was rooted in some sort of honesty. It has do with how as a society, we’re based with a desire to consume. That’s kind of the underlying tone of the movie--besides the fact it’s a fun, wild movie that takes place in space…and I got to kick ass, so.
Okay, so now we’re going to take a little trip down memory lane if you don’t mind. What was the first car you owned?
A forest green Ford Explorer. And at the time that I owned it, it was nicknamed the “Ford Exploder” because I had it during the time Firestone tires were blowing up. My girlfriends and I would always do these things called “Ford parties”—I mean this was years ago—where we would blast Madonna or No Doubt and drive down Sunset Blvd aimlessly, going nowhere but in a circle [laughs]. It was great!
What was your favorite cartoon/TV show as a kid?
Well I grew up watching Tom and Jerry. When I lived in Russia, we had two channels, and the kid’s show was Tom and Jerry. Then there was a Russian version of Winnie The Pooh (pronounced Vinnie-Pukh). Once I moved to the states, it was umm, [proceeds to sing Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears theme song…]. You know that one, right?
What was the best or worst advice you ever received?
[Laughs] I’m sure I’ve gotten a lot of bad advice. But the best advice: own up to your mistakes. And the worst advice? I have to think about that one. Well, you know, I can’t even think of any to be honest. Maybe it just goes in one ear and out the other.
How about the first live show you went to?
I think it was Goo Goo Dolls. I was maybe 14. It was at the House of Blues.
And lastly, what was the first album you bought?
A Tina Turner album. It was 1993. Do you remember that thing where they would send you DVD’s and stuff through the mail once month? It was through that.
