"I cried every day. I didn’t understand the culture": Mila Kunis on how her parents were instrumental in her success post immigration

A still of Mila Kunis (Image via Getty)
A still of Mila Kunis (Image via Getty)

Mila Kunis is currently one of the most renowned celebrities in Hollywood, but the famous actress had to go through much worse than most to make it here. However, a major reason for her success was her parents, Mark and Elvira Kunis. In a recent interview with People, Mila Kunis reflected on her immigrant past, adjusting to the United States, and how her parents continued to be a solid rock in the middle of it all.

Originally immigrants from Ukraine, Mila was just seven years old when her family migrated to the US following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Her parents reportedly came to the States with almost no money in their pockets. Mila revealed:

"It was right at the fall [of the Soviet Union],...It was very communist, and my parents wanted my brother and me to have a future, and so they just dropped everything. They came with $250."

She also recalled how she blocked out her second grade because of her troubles adjusting to the new place. Kunis added:

"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."

However, things only got better from there as Mila's parents enrolled her in acting school at the age of 9, and before too long, she made her mark on the world.


"My parents took it upon themselves to lie to me": Mila Kunis revealed how her parents made the move smoother for the young girl

While coming to the United States may be the best thing that happened to Mila Kunis, as a girl of seven, it was hard for her to understand. Thus, her supportive and understanding parents took the duty of getting the kid through this trauma by lying to her about the move and being there for her. Mila Kunis said:

"My parents took it upon themselves to lie to me and tell me we were moving up the street ... and then one day we weren't moving up the street, we were on a train and then we got to Moscow, and then we got on a plane and all of that was very new to me...A train was new, the plane was new. I had Coca-Cola for the first time. The entire experience was very new."

After coming to the States, Mila's parents also changed careers to support their two children, sacrificing their respective dreams in the process. However, they firmly believed in Mila Kunis' ability to act. They reportedly spent $890 on acting classes for her despite having only $900 in the bank.

And the young girl did not disappoint, landing her first commercial at the age of 9. Soon, success followed Mila Kunis as she slowly became a household name. But her parents never took a dime of her money, as revealed by the actress in the interview with People.

So, in 2017, Mila and her husband, Ashton Kutcher, pulled off a surprise home makeover for her parents’ L.A. condo for the online series My Houzz. Mila said:

"They’ve done so many things for my brother and I,...And so I desperately want to give them something that I think they deserve."

As of now, Mila Kunis continues to take pride in both her parents and what they have done for her.

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Edited by Priya Majumdar
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