Milla Jovovich on her veneer catastrophe & embarrassing male models

I’ve had a serious girl crush on Milla Jovovich since she and I were both 11-years-old. The major difference between us, of course, was that Milla was gracing the covers of Seventeen and Mademoiselle at the time while I was sitting in my bedroom wishing that I looked like her. These days, Milla is still a highly successful model (who has been a L’Oréal spokesperson for over a decade) and has managed to carve herself out a very lucrative acting career as well. She recently sat down with the Telegraph to promote The Three Musketeers, and the journalist takes great pains to mention that Jovovich didn’t bring a publicist and appears to possess no PR filter of which to speak. It shows, mostly in a good way.

On Never Taking Fame Personally: When people held up my picture to sign at a premiere it didn’t feel like it was because I was famous – just a part of the job. I would only ever get horrible things said about my acting and so on. And they were right: I was a horrible actress back then.

On Supermodels: The girls who endure past the age of 25 are fascinating because they brought something more to the table. Take the supermodels: sure they had mystique and the glamour, but those girls are smart businesswomen. Lots of pretty faces came and went over the years, but some stuck around and I happen to be one of them.

Now, every client would rather work with an actress. After the supermodel thing, the clients just said, “We’re done with paying top dollar for girls with attitudes who are constantly late.” These days they’ll pay them nothing so they don’t create stars – and I get that. Why have a model on the front of your magazine when you can have Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett or Hilary Swank? Because those girls are intelligent and talented, people are interested.

On Early Success: My poor mum had a lot of problems with me around that time. I was young but I’d been working for years, so if she asked me to clean my room I’d say, “You can’t tell me what to do after I’ve worked a 12-hour day.” It gave me a power that no one that age should have.

On Male Models: They’re even worse than actors. I mean seriously: you’re going to model for a living? It’s embarrassing for a man to model. Because it’s not like their career can take them anywhere – except in rare exceptions, like my ex-boyfriend [the photographer] Mario Sorrenti. If I ever had a boy, my one terror would be that he wanted to be an actor or a model.

On Mothering In Los Angeles: I worry about Ever. She’s the daughter of two successful people living in Beverly Hills: that’s gross. And that’s why at some point I want to take her to live in a village in Mongolia where we can help milk the yaks. Not that I’m ever going to be just a mum because it’s not in my nature, and what’s the point of being with your kid 24 hours a day if you’re depressed, which I would be?

On Her Recent Cosmetic-Enhancement (Veneers) Mistake: It didn’t even look like me. I couldn’t believe that I’d let them take away my smile. Luckily I found a dentist who recreated my teeth the way they were, but it taught me a lesson. Until you can’t bear to look in the mirror without feeling uncomfortable, don’t touch yourself. What is it you people say? “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” Because you will break it.

[From Telegraph]

That last part sounds rather scary, for Milla admits to allowing a cosmetic dentist talk her into the veneers after she chipped a tooth while filming a movie. Fortunately, another dentist was able to “redo” them so that she could regain her old look, which probably cost her a fortune and was a process filled with pain. Yet the experience has given her a fresh outlook on the risks of changing one’s appearance, so I am hopeful that she’ll never go the way of the botox and plastic surgery monsters that we’re so familiar with in contemporary society.

While Milla’s male model statements do sound slightly bitchy at first glance, the girl does have a point because modelling is probably the only industry where women outearn males by a hefty proportion. While neither sex can necessarily count on longevity as a model, I think most people see male models as just pinch hitting until they move on to a more practical career or get booted out after they can no longer pass for college aged. Yes, there are the occasional faces that stick around, like Tyson Beckford, but it’s very rare for a male model to become a household name unless, you know, they happen to get mixed up with crazy Halle Berry or start sleeping with Madonna. Ugh.

Milla, however, shall be around as a model (and actress) for as long as she desires. She’s so damn beautiful, and her little girl is just adorable too.

Photos courtesy of Fame

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