The Mila Kunis Phenomenon
She's talented, pretty and has developed into one of Hollywood's finest stars. Few people, however, realise that Kunis found her feet in the land of the small screen.
Sure, we're all talking about her role as Jamie in Friends with Benefits and we're still trying to get over her manic and dark, but sexy portrayal of Lily in last year's release Black Swan. Hell, we're all bracing ourselves for her upcoming parts in The Muppets, Ted and Oz The Great and Powerful, all of which will keep Kunis busy until 2013. All of this being said, Kunis is a television performer at heart; she has evolved into a silver screen figure.
Kunis has demonstrated incredble versatility on the small screen. She is the voice of Meg in the high popular animated sitcom Family Guy and failed spin-off The Cleveland Show. Her penchant for voice artistry, however, did not stop with Seth MacFarlane. In between her roles as Meg, Kunis picked up vocal work on the set of Robot Chicken, work she still performs now. Kunis's voice artistry, however, is only one positive aspect of her work for television.
It would be fair to assume that the majority of Western audiences became familiar with Kunis after her long-running role on That '70s Show as Jackie Burkhart, a role that was further improved by a strong enesmble consisting of such names as Ashton Kutcher, Topher Grace, Danny Masterson, Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp and many more. Her work with Bonnie and Terry Turner, however, was made possible by appearances on notable shows beforehand, such as Walker, Texas Ranger, 7th Heaven, The John Laroquette Show and Baywatch.
Whilst she has shown her face on the set of some terrible television series, such as Penascola: Wings of Gold, Kunis has been the recepient of many, many awards and award nominations, ranging from Teen Choice and Venice Film Festival Awards all the way through Golden Globe and Academy Awards. I guess some could argue that Kunis's career has been marked by the success of That '70s Show, The Book of Eli, Black Swan and kissing Natalie Portman on the set of Aronofsky's film. The reality, however, is this: she left the Ukraine for the US and has capitalised on that move. For that, the woman should be commended.
It's unquestionle that few people realise that Kunis found her feet in the land of the small screen, not the big screen. Her role as Jamie in Friends with Benefits is causing a stir because of her mingling with Justin Timberlake, and her sexy portrayal of Lily in Black Swan is still wowing later viewers of the film and those that saw it upon release and continue to be impressed by it. Her talent has translated into work; The Muppets, Ted and Oz The Great and Powerful should keep her busy for a while yet. All of this being said, Kunis is a small screen girl at heart. Good work, Mila!
By Chris Traficante