Celebrity Spotlight : Mila Kunis BY ANDREA MACDONNELL
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Imagine being blind , and deaf at age seven .” That is how Milena ( Mila ) Markovna Kunis described her first years in the USA . Having been born in Chernivtsi , Ukraine ( USSR ) Mila Kunis immigrated with her family to the USA when she was very young . However she was old enough to remember the challenges her family had to overcome .
Mila was in the second grade when she moved with her family to Los Angeles . Although Mila ’ s family did quite well in the Ukraine – Her mother , Elvira , was a physics teacher and her father , Mark Kunis , was a mechanical engineer , Mila ’ s family ultimately decided to move to the states because her parents did not see any future for Mila or her brother Michael in the Ukraine .
Whether it was for a lack of opportunity , or the great deal of anti-Semitism Mila ’ s family faced in the former Soviet Union for being of the Jewish faith , it was apparent that the Kunis family felt compelled to leave their home and head for LA . They reportedly had only $ 250 US dollars in their pocket when they came to the states because that was all they were allowed to bring . Mila and Michael were enrolled in school 2 days later .
Arriving here from the Ukraine was not an easy transition for Mila . In fact she has said in interviews that she had a very hard time in elementary school . “ I blocked out second grade completely . I have no recollection of it . I always talk to my mom and my grandma about it . It was because I cried every day . I didn ’ t understand the culture .
I didn ’ t understand the people . I didn ’ t understand the language .” Mila had only known one culture her whole life and had now been thrown into a new place that she didn ’ t know or understand . However , despite the language and culture barriers , Milena ( I love her real name ) worked as hard as she could to overcome those barriers and become one of the most sought out actresses in the media today .
Mila started acting only 2 years after she arrived in the states , at the age of 9 , when her father decided to enroll her into an acting class at the Beverly Hills studio . It was here that she met her agent and started working on some films . When Mila was 10 years old , after appearing in a few commercials and on the soap opera , Days of our lives , she auditioned for the role of a Russian Jewish girl who moves to America in the film Make a Wish , Molly . She unfortunately did not get the chance to play her own story on the big screen , but she was cast in that movie as the Mexican girl , Melinda .
Mila continued to work on her craft by appearing in television series as supporting characters . She appeared in a few Baywatch episodes , and she played the role of Ashley on Seventh Heaven , as well as supporting roles in Santa with Muscles , Honey , We Shrunk Ourselves , and Gia , as the young Gia Carangi .
In 1998 , Mila Kunis ’ career skyrocketed when she accepted the role as Jackie Burkhart on That 70 ’ s Show . She worked on That 70 ’ s Show alongside Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace for 8 consecutive seasons . It was during this time that Mila was discovered by Seth MacFarlane and started lending her voice to the character of Meg Griffin on Family Guy . Mila played the voice of Meg Griffin for hundreds of family guy episodes and specials , as well as the family guy video game .
Mila appeared in several movies between 2001 and 2008 . She starred alongside Kirsten Dunst in Get Over It in 2001 ; she acted in American Psycho 2 in 2002 next to William Shatner . However , we can be …. happy ... she didn ’ t …. pick up any …. bad … habits from …. William Shatner . Even Mila herself has expressed embarrassment over that film . She also acted in Tina & Tony ’ s wedding , Moving McAllister , After Sex , and Boot Camp , None of which received great reviews . However , her bad luck was about to change .
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