Spotlight of the Week – Mila Kunis

This week I wanted to focus on an actress that may be getting the wrong kind of attention (or the right kind of attention depending on what kind of a person you are).  Black Swan is getting ready to hit theaters, and the talk of the movie has been either Natalie Portman’s performance or the intimate scene between Ms. Kunis and Ms. Portman.  While I can certainly understand the appeal, I wanted to take a brief second to spotlight Mila’s acting talents thus far in her career.

Mila Kunis worked on a variety of t.v. shows and small movies before she got her big break with That 70’s Show.  She played Jackie Burkhart and won the part when she was only 14.  She continued work on the show for eight seasons.  Soon after getting the gig as Jackie, Mila replaced Lacey Chabert in the role of Meg Griffin on the hit animated series Family Guy.  Mila was only 15 at the time of getting the part, and creator Seth MacFarlane liked the idea of someone the same age of the character playing the voice. 

After That 70’s Show, Ms. Kunis was featured in some small films until she co-starred in the 2008 hit Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  Kunis played Rachel Jansen, a hotel receptionist who tried to help Jason Segel’s character get over his recent break up.  The movie is most notable for being Russell Brand’s introduction to American audiences.  Kunis followed this film up with the Mark Wahlberg starring, video game adaptation Max Payne.  She played the new intern in the Mike Judge comedy Extract.  She hit the road with Denzel Washington in the post apocalyptic film The Book of Eli which is a film I recently checked out and did not think was as bad as I had heard.  She then had a small role in the Steve Carell and Tina Fey comedy Date Night.

Now, Mila appears in Black Swan.  As stated at the beginning of the article, much of the attention she has received for the film is regarding one particular scene.  Everyone that I have talked to, though, has praised the performance that she gives in the film.  Unfortunately for her, Portman gives a performance that outshines everyone else in the cast, but I would love to see Mila continue to take on more serious roles and see exactly what her capabilities are as a dramatic actresss.

Next for Mila is the sex comedy Friends with Benefits co-starring Justin Timberlake.  The film features quite a cast with other stars like Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Richard Jenkins, Andy Samberg, and Jenna Elfman making appearances in the film.  Will Gluck, who recently directed the comedy Easy A, directs the film.  I thought the trailer looked hilarious so this is a film I am very much looking forward to seeing.

What do you think of Ms. Mila Kunis?  Good Actress?  Do you want to see her in comedy or drama?  Let us know in the comments below.