1990s: Acting beginnings and television work At age nine, Kunis was enrolled by her father in acting classes after school at the
Beverly Hills Studios, where she met Susan Curtis, who would become her manager. On her first audition she landed the role for a
Barbie commercial. Shortly after, she did a commercial for the
Lisa Frank product line. Her first television roles took place in 1994, first appearing on
Days of Our Lives, and a few months later doing her first of two appearances on
Baywatch. She had a minor role on the television shows
7th Heaven, She won two consecutive
Young Star Awards as Best Young Actress in a Comedy TV Series in 1999 and 2000 for her performances. (pictured in 2012) cast Kunis as the second voice of
Meg Griffin in
Family Guy, a character she has played since 1999. In 1999, Kunis replaced
Lacey Chabert in the role of
Meg Griffin on the animated sitcom
Family Guy, created by
Seth MacFarlane for Fox. Kunis won the role after auditions and a slight rewrite of the character, in part due to her performance on ''That '70s Show''. When Kunis auditioned for the role, she was called back by MacFarlane, who instructed her to speak slower. He then told her to come back another time and enunciate more. Once she claimed that she had it under control, MacFarlane hired her. MacFarlane added: "What Mila Kunis brought to it was in a lot of ways, I thought, almost more right for the character. I say that Lacey did a phenomenal job, but there was something about Mila—something very natural about Mila. She was 15 when she started, so you were listening to a 15-year-old. Oftentimes with animation they'll have adult actors doing the voices of teenagers and they always sound like Saturday morning voices. They sound oftentimes very forced. She had a very natural quality to Meg that really made what we did with that character kind of really work." Kunis was nominated for an
Annie Award in the category of Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production in 2007. She also voiced Meg in
Family Guy Video Game!, released in 2006. Kunis described her character as "the scapegoat".
2000s: Transition to film and breakthrough In 2001, she appeared in
Get Over It opposite
Kirsten Dunst. She followed that up in 2002, by starring in the straight-to-DVD horror film
American Psycho 2 alongside
William Shatner, a sequel to the 2000 film
American Psycho.
American Psycho 2 was poorly reviewed by critics, and later, Kunis herself expressed embarrassment over the film. In 2004, Kunis starred in the film adaptation ''
Tony n' Tina's Wedding. Although the film was shot in 2004, it did not have a theatrical release until 2007. Most critics did not like the film, which mustered a 25% approval from Rotten Tomatoes. DVD talk'' concluded that "fans would be much better off pretending the movie never happened in the first place". In 2005, Kunis co-starred with
Jon Heder in
Moving McAllister, which was not released theatrically until 2007. The film received generally poor reviews and had a limited two-week run in theaters. She followed up with
After Sex starring alongside
Zoe Saldaña, who had also appeared in
Get Over It. In October 2006, she began filming
Boot Camp (originally titled
Straight Edge). The film was not released in theaters in the United States, but was released on DVD on August 25, 2009.
in 2008|leftKunis starred as Rachel Jansen in the 2008 comedy film, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, co-produced by Judd Apatow. The role, which she won after unsuccessfully auditioning for Knocked Up'', The film garnered positive reviews, and was a commercial success, grossing worldwide. Kunis's performance was well-received;
Joe Morgenstern of
The Wall Street Journal praised her "fresh beauty and focused energy", while
James Berardinelli wrote that she is "adept with her performance and understands the concept of comic timing". She was nominated for a
Teen Choice Award. In an interview, Kunis credited Apatow with helping her to expand her career from ''That '70s Show''. Also in 2008, Kunis portrayed Mona Sax, an assassin, alongside
Mark Wahlberg in the action film
Max Payne, based on the
video game of the same name. Kunis underwent training in guns, boxing, and martial arts for her role.
Max Payne was relatively successful at the box office, grossing worldwide but was poorly reviewed by critics, with several reviewers calling Kunis miscast. Travis Estvold of
Boise Weekly wrote that she was "horribly miscast as some sort of undersized, warble-voiced crime boss". Director
John Moore defended his choice of Kunis saying, "Mila just bowled us over..... She wasn't an obvious choice, but she just wears Mona so well. We needed someone who would not be just a fop or foil to Max; we needed somebody who had to be that character and convey her own agenda. I think Mila just knocked it out of the park." In 2009, she appeared in the comedy film
Extract with
Ben Affleck and
Jason Bateman. The film received mostly positive reviews, and grossed at the box office.
Roger Ebert, while critical of the film itself, wrote that Kunis "brings her role to within shouting distance of credibility." Director
Mike Judge commented that part of what was surprising to learn about Kunis was her ability to make references to the cult animation film
Rejected. Judge said: "As beautiful as Mila is, you could believe that maybe she would cross paths with you in the real world." After seeing Kunis perform in
Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Judge wanted to cast her in the role of Cindy in
Extract: "I just thought, 'Wow, this girl's perfect.' And she really wanted to do it, which was fantastic." Kunis herself stated that "I'm a huge fan of Mike Judge's from
Office Space, so I was, like, 'Okay, this is a very easy decision.' I told them I would do anything needed to be in this production—like craft service, or, say, acting."
2010s: Acclaim and comedic roles In 2010, she starred alongside
Denzel Washington in the action film
The Book of Eli. Although the film received mixed reviews, it performed well at the box office, grossing over worldwide. Film critic
Richard Roeper praised Kunis's performance, calling it a "particularly strong piece of work". Several other reviews were equally positive, including that of Pete Hammond of
Boxoffice magazine, who wrote that she's "ideally cast in the key female role". Even reviewers who did not necessarily like the film complimented her performance, such as
James Berardinelli, who wrote that "the demands of the role prove to be within her range, which is perhaps surprising considering she has been thus far pigeonholed into more lightweight parts", and Colin Covert of the
Star Tribune, who wrote that she "generated a spark and brought a degree of determination to her character, developing an independent female character who's not always in need of rescuing." Other critics, such as Claudia Puig of
USA Today felt she was miscast, noting that "she looked as if she dropped in from a
Ray-Ban commercial". Kunis received another Teen Choice Award nomination for her performance. Kunis was also cast in a minor role in the 2010 comedy film
Date Night, starring
Tina Fey and
Steve Carell. She garnered several positive reviews for her performance.
Michael Phillips of the
Chicago Tribune concluded her performance with
James Franco helped save the film and gave it "a shot in the arm." promoting
Black Swan in 2010; her performance as a ballet dancer received
several accolades. Kunis was nominated for multiple awards, including her first Golden Globe, for the 2010 film
Black Swan. She played a rival ballet dancer to the main character, played by
Natalie Portman. Director
Darren Aronofsky cast Kunis in the film based on her performance in
Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and on the recommendation of co-star and close friend Natalie Portman. She underwent a training regimen that included cardiovascular exercise, a 1,200-calorie a day diet (she lost 20 pounds that she regained after filming ended), and ballet classes for four hours a day, seven days a week. During the demanding production, she suffered injuries including a torn ligament and a dislocated shoulder.
Black Swan received widespread acclaim from critics and was nominated for five
Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film grossed over in the United States and Canada while grossing over worldwide. Reviews of Kunis's performance were positive, with Kirk Honeycutt of
The Hollywood Reporter stating, "Kunis makes a perfect alternate to Portman, equally as lithe and dark but a smirk of self-assurance in place of Portman's wide-eyed fearfulness." Guy Lodge of In Contention also praised Kunis, saying, "it's the cool, throaty-voiced Kunis who is the surprise package here, intelligently watching and reflecting her co-star in such a manner that we're as uncertain as Nina of her ingenuousness." Kunis's performance won her the
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress at the
67th Venice International Film Festival, and earned her
Golden Globe Award and
Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. At the 37th annual
Saturn Awards, she was also honored with the
Best Supporting Actress award for her performance. Kunis was cast alongside
Justin Timberlake in the 2011 romantic comedy
Friends with Benefits. Director
Will Gluck stated that he wrote the story with Kunis and Timberlake in mind.
Friends with Benefits achieved success at the box office, grossing over worldwide, and received mostly positive reviews with critics praising the chemistry between Kunis and Timberlake.
Manohla Dargis of
The New York Times wrote that "Ms. Kunis is fast proving that she's a gift that keeps giving to mainstream romantic comedy" and "her energy is so invigorating and expansive and her presence so vibrant that she fills the screen". in 2012|left In 2012, Kunis co-starred with Mark Wahlberg in
Ted, her most commercially successful film to date. The film was directed and co-written by
Family Guy creator
Seth MacFarlane. Kunis played the girlfriend of Wahlberg's character. When MacFarlane first conceived the project, he considered Kunis too young for the role. However, the film remained in development for several years and when it was finally ready to begin production, he ended up casting her.
Ted has received generally positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing worldwide. Drew McWeeny of
HitFix wrote that Kunis "brings some lovely subtle grace notes to a role that easily could have just been 'the pushy girlfriend. In 2013, Kunis played
Theodora, the youngest of three witches, opposite
James Franco, in the
Walt Disney Pictures' prequel,
Oz the Great and Powerful. She dedicated her performance in the film to
Margaret Hamilton, the original Wicked Witch of the West in the
1939 film. The film, and Kunis's performance, received mixed reviews from critics.
Kim Newman of
Empire Magazine wrote that Kunis "walks away with the honours as the wavering witch Theodora, whose heartbreak brings another, less-expected depth to this 3D spectacle". In contrast,
Todd McCarthy of
The Hollywood Reporter found Kunis's performance to be uncertain as her character seemed to be in a state of limbo.
Oz the Great and Powerful was a commercial success, grossing over worldwide. Also in 2013, Kunis co-starred in the crime thriller
Blood Ties with
Clive Owen,
Billy Crudup, and
Marion Cotillard. The film premiered at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival and had a limited release in the United States in 2014.
Blood Ties received mixed reviews. Kunis was also cast in the comedy
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, alongside
Robin Williams and
Peter Dinklage. The film had a limited theatrical and VOD release and received poor reviews. The
Paul Haggis-directed film
Third Person co-starring with
Liam Neeson,
Olivia Wilde and
James Franco premiered at the
2013 Toronto Film Festival and had a limited release in 2014, but also received mostly negative reviews. Kunis's performance was praised by some critics; Deborah Young of
The Hollywood Reporter wrote that her role gives her "enormous room to express her talent" and she "gives her story a shot of raw intensity". '' with co-star
Kate McKinnon in 2018 In October 2014, it was announced Kunis, along with her partners, had launched a new production company called Orchard Farm Productions. The company has a first-look deal with
ABC Studios, where the company is based. Under the agreement, the team will develop and produce TV projects for broadcast and cable. In 2015, Kunis co-starred with
Channing Tatum in the science fiction film
Jupiter Ascending, directed by
the Wachowskis. While the film grossed over on a budget, it received mostly negative reviews, with a consensus that the production was "narratively befuddled" and a "visually thrilling misfire". Kunis co-starred with
Kristen Bell and
Christina Applegate in the comedy
Bad Moms, which was released July 29, 2016. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the cast and humor, though did not feel it could "take full advantage of its assets". Chris Nashawaty from
Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Kunis manages to be both sympathetic and funny, and she has crack comedic timing". The film went on to earn more than with a budget of . Following the financial success of
Bad Moms,
STX Entertainment reunited Kunis with her co-stars Kristen Bell and
Kathryn Hahn for a sequel,
A Bad Moms Christmas, which was released on November 1, 2017. It went on to receive mixed reviews and gross over worldwide with a budget of . Her final film of 2018 was the comedy
The Spy Who Dumped Me, starring alongside
Kate McKinnon. The film received mixed reviews and went on to gross over worldwide with a budget of .
2020s: Critical resurgence Kunis co-starred with
Glenn Close in the film
Four Good Days. Principal photography began in September 2019 in Los Angeles, and premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2020. The film received mixed reviews but Kunis was praised for her performance, with Pete Hammond from
Deadline Hollywood stating Kunis was "a revelation" in the role, while Richard Roeper of the
Chicago Sun-Times concluded her performance "represents the finest work she has done". In 2021, she co-starred with
Allison Janney and
Regina Hall in
Breaking News in Yuba County, which was filmed in
Mississippi. The film was released February 12, 2021, and received negative reviews from critics. On April 30, 2022, it was announced that Kunis would have a guest appearance in the follow-up sitcom, ''
That '90s Show''. In 2022, Kunis produced and starred in a
Netflix film adaptation of
Luckiest Girl Alive based on the Jessica Knoll
novel of the same name.
Luckiest Girl Alive was released in select cinemas on September 30, 2022, before its streaming release on October 7, 2022, by
Netflix. The film received mixed reviews from critics. However, Kunis received acclaim for her performance with Erick Massoto from
Collider stating she delivered a "career best performance" that is "hypnotic and keeps you on the edge of your seat at every turn." Additionally Kunis received a nomination for The Drama Movie Star of 2022 at the
48th People's Choice Awards. In 2023, it was announced that Kunis was slated to co-star with
Michael Keaton in the comedy film
Goodrich.
Goodrich was released on October 18, 2024. The film received positive reviews from critics. Written and Directed by
Hallie Meyers-Shyer, Kunis also served as executive producer. In 2024, Kunis closed a deal with
Skydance to produce and star in
The 47 Night Stand, a new film scripted by
Greg Malins. In 2025, Kunis was added to the cast of the latest installment of the
Knives Out franchise, joining
Daniel Craig in Netflix's film
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The film was released in select theaters on November 26, 2025, as well as joining
Netflix on December 12 and received positive reviews from critics. In 2026, Kunis is set to star in and produce
Nightwatching, based on Tracy Sierra’s debut novel, from directors Adam Schindler and Brian Netto. Production will begin at the end of January as part of the California tax incentive program. ==Media image==