My first encounter with Milla Jovovich was in the Resident Evil movies. While I don’t remember much of the movies’ plot, due to the amount of alcohol I require in my system to enjoy jump-out-at-you thriller/horror movies, I remembered Milla’s cropped red hair and bright green eyes. Later I realized her eyes are actually blue. But my point is, she’s set up in those films as a very important character, almost more central than the plot. Anyone who’s seen this series of movies can tell you that.
Milla’s career is predicated around being remembered. At the age of 11, a photographer named Richard Avedon caught sight of her and featured her in Revlon’s Most Unforgettable Women in the World ad campaign. It was this start that led to her highly successful (and ongoing) modeling career, and it was her modeling career that led to her acting roles. The first of many was in The Fifth Element (1997). Her most recent role was Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers (2011), which was directed by her husband of two years, Paul W.S. Anderson.
It could easily be said that it was catching a photographer’s eye at the age of 11 that prompted the rest of her career. Even at the age of 11 she had a face that a photographer couldn’t forget. She went on to dabble in music, releasing a folk album of her singing entitled The Divine Comedy when she was just 16. Later she was part of a band called Plastic Has Memory, whose sound was more akin to Portishead than her former folk sound. Part of her interview with Oneworld in 1997 mentions that she was also into hiphop for a time during the 90s when she lived in L.A.
As previously mentioned, Milla still has movies forthcoming with roles such as Amalia Bezhetskaya in The Winter Queen (2012), and Alice in Resident Evil: Retribution (2012). According to her website, she still enjoys making music and still does modeling, but, “She’s always maintained that modeling doesn’t really thrill her; rather, she’s in it for the money.” In an interview with Oneworld in 1997, she said, “Modeling is great when you have talent, dedication and you really put the time in. Without that you are just another moment.”
I know I will continue to remember Milla, not as the centerpiece of the Resident Evil series, but also as one of those people who doesn’t limit herself. Granted, from those early modeling contracts she’s always had the money to do what she wanted to, but she hasn’t been deterred from her forays into whatever type of music she pleases, and I’d imagine she’s got to be supremely pleased with and proud of her acting career. I can’t even imagine the confidence boost that must come from being a top-billed model with multiple ongoing campaigns, either.
These are the main reasons why I say I’ll stick with being me by day, but I’d love to be Milla Jovovich by night.
Movies mentioned above (hyperlinks go to IMDb):
No comments:
Post a Comment