Indeed
Mila Kunis has become one of the hottest and most wanted actress
in Hollywood. From years on "That '70s Show" and then on "Black Swan",
"Friends with Benefits" and now she plays Lori as the long-time,
long-suffering girlfriend of Mark Wahlberg's John, whose best friend is a
magical, talking reprobate stuffed bear.
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.
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.
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?
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. Showing on Oct. 4, 2012.
Nationwide
