One of the things I have learned is that taking your kids with you to an interview is never a bad move.
This week, Toshi and Allen had a few days off school for parent-teacher conferences, and so when Tuesday morning rolled around, I had an early date with Mila Kunis at the Four Seasons, and they went along with me.
By “date,” of course, I mean five minutes of camera time in one of their conference rooms in front of the usual junket crew, all in support of “Jupiter Ascending,” the new Wachowskis film that opened today. But when we walked into the room, Mila saw the boys and immediately started having a conversation with them instead of me, and I can't possibly blame her.
After all, Toshi was reading his “Secrets Of Disneyland” book, and Mila's a big Disney fan, and so they started talking about Walt's personal apartment over the firehouse, but Allen really wanted her to know that he lost a tooth and that she was the witch in “Oz” and that he saw it and she seemed fascinated by his lost tooth and she had her own baby with her and across the hall and she talked to them about the baby and cooed about how cute the boys are…
… and I sat there, totally invisible to everyone in the room, laughing the entire time. One of the things that has been obvious about Mila since the first time I interviewed her is just how much she is not into the trappings of this business. Watching her on the set of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” she was the first one to take advantage of a break to run find a cliff she could jump off. Talking to her about “Black Swan,” she was resolutely unserious, laughing about everything. She frequently showed up for press days with her parents in tow, and I've met her mother several times now.
We talked about the technical demands of the absolutely insane chase scene in the film, as well as her own lack of superpowers in the film, and it was quick and silly and entirely what I expected from her. While I'm still not sure she was the right person for the role, I think some filmmaker is eventually going to figure out the exact right use for Kunis, and it'll be amazing when it happens. Until then, I'll just keep bringing the boys with me because I know it'll make for a great interview when I do.
“Jupiter Ascending” is in theaters now.