Thoroughly Modern Mila

As an actress, she’s making the comedic movies she wants to make and as a producer, she’s elevating women’s roles on-screen. Building a career on her own terms is just how Mila Kunis rolls.

- Allison Glock

The sky is about to open up on her morning walk, but Mila Kunis isn’t worried about the coming storm. She gives zero effs about hair falling flat or mascara running or jeans growing sodden. Moreover, Kunis has little patience for delicate flowers who fret about getting drenched. After all, “it’s just rain.” Fleeing religious persecution, her family emigrated from Ukraine when Kunis was seven years old, with just $250 in their pockets. Because of this and a naturally resilient disposition, she understands that life is full of challenges and sorrow – and that a spot of precipitation during a stroll is neither. “It is what it is,” she asserts, marching towards the darkening clouds.

Kunis, 34, speaks freely and loudly as she navigates the Atlanta BeltLine, an urban walking path that winds through the city she’s calling home while she shoots Bad Moms 2, the sequel to 2016’s endearing ensemble comedy Bad Moms – a film that showcases Kunis’ slapstick chops and everywoman accessibility. As the first drops fall, she pops open an umbrella, veering into a story about her rental house and how yesterday a storm felled a tree in her yard.

“It should’ve fallen onto three homes. The fact that it didn’t was unbelievable.” She seems thrilled. “We could get struck by lightning any second. So why worry? There’s something so empowering about being, ‘Whatever’s going to happen is going to happen.’ Over the past four or five years, I’ve realised how much I enjoy that feeling.”