Happy Sad Confused - Milla Jovovich

Episode Date: April 9, 2019

Milla Jovovich has become a genre queen thanks to "The Fifth Element", "Resident Evil", and so much more. And now she's back in the new "Hellboy" opposite "Happy Sad Confused" fave David Harbour!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Fear, I have to make them afraid. He's got a motorcycle. Get after him or have you shot? What do you mean blow up the building? From this moment on, none of you are safe. New episodes every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Today on Happy Sad Confused, Milovovich takes on David Harbor in a new reimagining of Hellboy.

Hey guys, I'm Josh Horowitz. Welcome to another edition of Happy Sad, Confused. Welcome to my podcast. Today's guest, as I said, is Mila Yoavovich. Maybe it's Jovovich. I've heard it pronounced both ways. I think she's cool with it either way. To her face, I said Yovovic, and she did not correct me.

So, for the record, I'm going with that. Mila is currently starring in the new Hellboy film. This is not Guillermo de Toros, not Ron Perlman's. No, this comes courtesy of director Neil Marshall of Game of Thrones fame, and our old buddy, Mr. David Harbour, who is playing The Man himself. This is a wild ride. This is crazy R-rated. Sick, perverse, fun action movie stuff.

And Mila, who is no stranger to genre filmmaking, is playing The Blood Queen Nimue. So check that out. It is out in theaters this week, Miloiovovich. This was a real pleasure. Always been a fan of Mila's going back to, I guess, like most people, I discovered her in the Fifth Element. What a performance.

What a crazy film from director Luke Bissom. We've talked about that film. on this podcast before. So a real treat to have her on to talk about her early days, moving from the USSR at five with her parents, her mom who was an actor, kind of restarting here in America and kind of quickly hitting it big as an actress and model. And Mila's kind of hysterical talking about her ups and downs in the early days when she didn't necessarily think she was naturally talented as an actor. She's very frank about that. And then she was hit with this, like, horribly reviewed, return to the Blue Lagoon.

That sets her back. And it took the role in The Fifth Element as Lilu, of course, to get her back on track and to reignite her career. And since then, you know, she's been just kind of a part of, especially genre filmmaking. You know, I think of her. I think of the Resident Evil films, which have been so vastly popular. and frankly important, you know, as a franchise that featured a strong female action hero and made a gazillion dollars in the course of it. You know, Resident Evil was out there before the spate of female-led superhero films.

So say what you will about them, they really were an important part of the strides we've made in female representation as action heroes. And Meela was great. She's very open about sort of, you know, her different priorities at different points in her life. Very sweet talking about her family now, her oldest daughter, who's now pursuing acting and how Mila is kind of helping her with those endeavors. A real treat to get to know Mila today. So I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did. As for other stuff going on in the Josh Harowitz universe, if you guys care or are interested, I've been pretty busy.

I've been running around like crazy, and there's a lot of fun video interviews out there in addition to the podcast for you to enjoy. I was just in Las Vegas at CinemaCon, which is kind of bizarre four days of song and dance presentations by the movie studios for the exhibitors, for the guys that own the movie theaters out there. So they trot out a lot of movie stars and get them excited about their slate of films coming up. And in the process, do a little bit of press. So I sat down with the Russo brothers, directors of Avengers Endgame, with Ansel Elgort and Finn Wolfhard, the stars of the Goldfinch,

with Beanie Feldstein and Caitlin Dever, the stars of Booksmart, talked to everybody from Jim Carrey and Olivia Wilde to Halle Berry. It was a ton of fun, interesting, cool interviews that we've been rolling out on MTV News's YouTube page, and their various social media platforms. So look out for those interviews.

I'm tweeting them out as well. There's a lot out there, and we're still kind of digging through it. In addition, I got a chance to catch up with the cast of Avengers Endgame guys. No, I have not seen the movie. No one has seen the movie. The cast has not seen the movie.

It's kind of crazy. This one's under lock and key until the big premiere in a couple weeks. And it's kind of fascinating how little we know about this culmination of the Avengers saga of the MCU. I mean, clearly it's going to go on, but also clearly we're going to lose some people, and there are some people who are going to come and go. So this is a big moment in the Marvel Universe.

So a lot of fun. I got a chance to talk to Evans and Hemsworth and Scarlet, Ruffalo and Rudd, just a whole bunch of them. And we played some fun, silly games, and had a blast over the weekend. So that stuff is also coming at you very soon. I will, again, send it out on the Twitterverse, on the Instagramverse, on the social media verse, on the verse. Just look out for it. And beyond that, oh, wait, there's two other things I want to mention.

I'm sorry, guys. There's so much going on. Comedy Central, two new after hours that we've debuted very recently. Speaking of Hellboy, David Harbour did a bananas after hours with me that I absolutely adore. It is out there on Comedy Central's Facebook page. Look at Comedy Central after hours or go to Comedy Central's YouTube page. David Harbors, one-man show in which he plays several characters, including 11 from Stranger Things. We spent a few hours together a few months back doing this, and it's delightful.

you will enjoy, trust me. And also, a new after-hours for you, Game of Thrones fanatics out there. Paul Shear, the great Paul Shear, stars in a very special Game of Thrones themed after hours with me that, I mean, I think the less known the better, but basically, you know how a lot of us have been binging Game of Thrones getting ready for the new season? It takes that premise and goes off into dark, strange areas. that's another one I love. So I hope you guys enjoy those bits of comedy.

And yeah, I'm exhausted. It's a busy time. But some more podcasts we're taping. Star Wars celebrations coming up. Look, there's no rest for the weary. In the meantime, enjoy this conversation with Miloiovich. Remember to check out the new Hellboy film. It's out in theaters this week.

And remember to review rate and subscribe. do happy, sad, confused, spread the good word. Here's you. I love all of your decor. There's a lot going on. It really is. I can see that you were a kid who was into sci-fi in action. Yeah.

We grew up around the same time, about the same age. So these are probably some more reference points. Yeah. Are you kidding? Like Big Trouble in Little China. I watched that so many times on like HBO or whatever. Yeah. No, it's a perfect movie, a perfectly weird crazy movie. And it was crazy, too, because I feel like when we were growing up, like, you literally

would be flipping through the channels and just see the craziest stuff. Like, I watched aliens when I was literally like 10. A little too young, but that's perfect. Exactly. Like my daughter would never be allowed to watch the kind of, or Big Trouble in China, too. It had some pretty racy stuff in it, right? Well, it was, yeah. Like, I feel like everyone, I remember, like, yeah, the traumatic, like, sleepover where we

watched Jaws, like, and it was, like, way too young. I remember watching here in New York on Channel 11. watching The Exorcist, like, oh, my, come on. The Exorcist, that was not good. But even, like, Goonies. Goonies is pretty intense for a kid's movie. It's pretty intense. And also, like, you know, when Corey Feldman is translating the housekeeper,

and just that whole scene is so non-PC, like you would never be able to shoot that in any way, shape, or form today. No. I don't think even Sloth would exist as a character today. Right? Totally. Nope. But we're okay, Mila. We're not bad people.

We're okay. We turned out our. Right. Actually, yeah. No, I'm, you know what I actually feel is it was kind of great because you had so much like gratuitous violence and sex on TV that you would just kind of flip through that you became a little immune to it. We're desensitized. We're dead inside.

What about porkies? Do you remember porkies? Yeah. I remember being like eight and like changing the channels and be like, oh my God, butts, male butts. I had a slightly different reaction. But yeah, similar. Similar.

Yeah. Well, that's a good segue to get to get to. get the Hellboy part of this conversation out of the way because this is this could traumatize some kids today in a good way hopefully this is dark weird stuff it's good it is dark weird stuff but I feel like it's much more in tune with the graphic novels as well you know and it was so amazing that Mike Mignola actually like helped write the script yeah because he was so involved he was on set you know he was there for us to ask questions too he helped us with the characters and I think working so closely with the writer of you know

know, the property itself, you know, of Hellboy was amazing, you know, because it was really much more like the vision that he wanted for it to begin with. It's interesting that I've seen the film and it's a lot of fun and it's interesting to find that there is a different, a different lane to explore this character that, you know, I love the Guillermo films too. Oh, I mean, I was a huge fan. Right. Ron Perlman's and Monster Hunter too.

I was like, if he's not in this movie, you're going to see him in another one of my movies because I'm going to work with Ron. He's a character, right? He's amazing. Have you ever interviewed him? I have interviewed him. I need to get him in here for an extended conversation. I mean, literally, he's like, I've never heard someone with that many one-liners.

Everything is a one-liner. Harbour's no slouch either in a different way. No, he is no slouch at all. Are you kidding? I wouldn't be surprised if David Harbour is a director at some point later. Oh, yeah. Because he's just, like, God, like, he's so cerebral, right? Like, he'll talk about Hellboy, and you think, like, it's some existential.

kind of like religious experience and I'm like I don't understand half of what you're talking about but I'm gonna go with it I just think the horns are kind of cool I yeah over intelligent like I remember talking to him I've talked to him a few times actually just saw him I was at cinema con in Vegas and he he seems like he was traumatized a little bit by the experience I mean he had to go through a lot he went through a lot he did I felt bad for him because you know at listen at the best of times you could be doing like a family drama around the dinner table sure and you're going to be working 15-hour days. That's what it is on a film. But this time, we have to come in. I mean, I experienced it for, like, a week and not even as bad. I had, like, five hours of, like, body paint and things for some of the scenes.

But he had every morning five hours to put on, like, a 40-pound-plus costume of prosthetics, you know? And by the end of the day, poor guy, he would, like, just be sitting, holding his head in his hands, like, with the worst headache because, you know, the math. The weight, the literal weight. Yeah, the weight of the horns and everything. So, yeah, it was pretty... You know, I think a lot of actors don't understand how much patience you need to do these kind of action films. They feel like, oh, I'm just going to, like, whatever.

It's just an action movie, but they don't get that you really do need to, like, keep it together because it's frustrating. Well, and the concentration, as you all know, I'm doing the Resident Evil movies as stunt-heavy as those were, a lot of hurry up and wait. Oh, yeah. And a lot of intense concentration when it's your time to do it

because you fuck up, you can get seriously injured. Oh, yeah. Like that's, this is no joke. No, are you kidding? Even on Hellboy at one point, I was working with Doug. Oh, what's like, Doug? He plays the Gruigach, my henchman, my pig henchman. And he's a lovely, lovely guy.

And he also had this animatronic head that's like a 50-pound helmet that he wore. And at one point he's like, does anyone smell smoke? And we're like, no. And he's like, I don't know. Something's kind of getting smoky in here. And I'm, as being a mom, I'm like, get the helmet off him. No! And like send, because everyone's just standing around, like, not really knowing,

because it's going on inside his head, you know, literally. Internally. Internally. And I guess the wires had crossed because the whole head moves and the nose moves. And it was burning on the inside. Like, poor guy. So, you know, after that, I was like, that's it for that head. You can retire that head and that's it.

So that was practical on set? Practical on set. You know, that's what's great about this movie, too. There was a lot of practical effects going on, which I think is great because it is such a throwback to the way people used to do things when they were very tactile artists. And, of course, you know, CGI is amazing. And the guys that are doing the computer stuff are incredible. but there is something I love

about just like getting your hands dirty you know like when I make a zombie movie it's like you see the zombies you see the makeup you see like the work that these artists do to create these incredible pieces and set pieces. Totally Obviously like especially since

the I mean going back to fifth element and then Resident Evil kind of raises the stakes to a whole another level for you in terms of like genre stuff like what percentage of material that you get is genre based does it does it come to you do you go after it at this point? You know what, at this point, I don't have to, like, go after it. I mean, definitely it comes to me.

But it's funny. I mean, I never, you know, my mom was a movie star in the Soviet Union in the 70s. And, you know, so she kind of taught me what she knew. And she's always like, who would have thought that this is what you would do, being covered in dirt, covered in blood, like, who would ever thought such a beautiful glamorous girl that this is where her career would go? And I'm like, well, it's actually like a great career. And, like, I have people that really love my movies.

And she's like, oh, please. When will you be glamorous? That keeps you grounded. You know, being a movie star. You know, so she just can't get over, like. She wants you and Kira Nightway to switch careers, basically. Well, pretty much, pretty much. You know, but she, per thing, she just, like, is missing the glamorous part of me.

But, you know, I do feel like I grew up. I mean, we grew up at the same time. So we grew up with so much of, like, the action, so much of the sci-fi, so much of the fantasy. Thank you. And, you know, even, like, coming home from school, like, what would I watch? Thundercats, Shira. It was all, like, these very powerful women characters. But then, like, of course, being a fan of, let's say, So Gordney Weaver, because, you know, she traumatized me at, like, such an early age, flipping through the channels.

But then, like, I, you know, I would see Alien, like, every night for, like, months when they would play a movie. on TV. And so, of course, I became a huge fan and wondered, like, why there weren't more women taking on monsters in a way. And it was all, like, such a male-oriented genre, you know, and I wanted to see more women to represent, like, me up there doing it, not always, like, Arnold and Sly and, like, all, you know, Bruce Willis kind of thing. The 80s, the 80s was pop mostly, outside of Sigourney and aliens, it felt, and some cartoons you mentioned, it was, It was the Van Damns and cigals and all that. And so, you know, when I did Fifth Element,

it just, it really felt like almost a full circle or something. Like all the interests and loves that I had as a kid, like escaping into these other worlds, like Lord of the Rings, you know, Dune, all of these different fantasies that I would go into and suddenly like, here I am on set, playing an alien from another planet, you know, with these incredible scenes. sets and like really going into these different universes and just spoke to me.

You know, I was like, oh my God, I found like my place in the world. Like this is so me like I'm geeking out right now, you know? Well, and it must have felt like, yeah. I mean, to be on those kind of sets, you're like, oh, I'm in a movie. Like this is what you imagine when you're a kid. Right. A movie set should be. For real, like Universal Studios tour, you know?

But that's my work every day. So I think like, you know, I think people could feel when they watch Fifth Element how much fun I had. And I think, you know, when it went, like, to Joan of Arc or Resident Evil, like, again, like, people, I don't know, there's a passion that I have for these kind, this genre that I think translates on screen for sure. And when did you start to get a sense? Like, what did it, did it hit you even at that time that, like, you know, the importance of something like Resident Evil, which maybe at the time felt like, oh, like a cool job, but, like, maybe didn't feel like it would have the residence that it really has residence for kids and for young women. You know what? I didn't think at the time that it would, but, you know, I feel like anything you do for the right reasons is going to resonate. And I did Resident Evil. Like, I was already, like, super high on myself.

I mean, I was, like, 23 years old at the time. I was, like, the coolest person ever in my own head. I was Lidoo. I was Joan of Arc. I was, like, already, like, action girl. I only played icons. Sorry, guys. Yeah, exactly.

I was totally that annoying person. when I was young. And, you know, I would play Resident Evil with my little brother when he was 13. And we'd play for hours. We were, like, totally addicted to it. And so I said, well, I told my agent, if you ever hear them making the movie, you've got to get me in for it because my brother would die. Right.

And so that's how that whole thing came about. And so I joke with my brother now. I'm like, without you playing Resident Evil with me, like, I wouldn't have my family. I wouldn't be married to the, you know, the love of my brother. my life. You've done a lot out of that bargain. My career, like everything, you like set me up for the next like 20 years of my life. It's hilarious. You're olden big time. That's not a good place to be. I know. I have siblings. I know what that's like. So, okay, let's go back a little bit. You talked a little bit about, you moved here to the States when you're, what, about five

years old? Five, yeah. Mom had been a successful actress back home. But from what I gather, I mean, it's kind of mind-boggling. I mean, you guys basically escaped from Soviet Union, as I understand it, right? Defected. Yeah. And had to basically start over. It wouldn't happen today, I tell you what. Interesting time, yes. You want to get political.

You can get political. No, no, no, no, I really don't want to get political. Geez. No, but I mean, it's true your parents, like, worked as, like, housekeepers, like here? Actually, funnily enough, my parents worked as housekeepers in this kind of mansion that was being rented to all different people, like movie stars, John Traveld. I rented the house at one point. My dad got me an autograph from him from staying alive because it was like

1982 or something like that. And Brian De Palma and like Christopher Reeve, I remember playing with his son. Wow. And like going to the beach with them. They took me out for the day. Like, because I was like the little kid on the property living at the guest house off the garage, you know? Yeah.

So like anyone who had kids, like I'd be the helps kid kind of thing. Right. you know, so it was the kid's right to play with me. Sure, that's part of the package. Yeah, exactly. And you get like a friend for your child. But it was, it was, it was funny because my mom actually saw Brian like, I don't, I mean, it must have been 10 years later or whatever, it was probably a little bit more.

And of course she had like all these covers of me. And she was like, and she was driving a jaguar that I had bought for her as a present. And she was like, oh, Brian. And so nice to see you. Please take a look at my daughter. She's just on the cover of Vogue, you know, or whatever. Probably not Vogue, but something. So she was super happy about that.

It was very cute. I mean, from what I gathered in reading, like, you know, she did groom you. Like, she wanted this for you. Yes. This was the life she imagined and hoped for you. What was the life she wanted for herself? Right, right. You know, but moving to America, not speaking English.

I mean, she was, I guess, 28 when we got. here and just so gorgeous but at the same time just didn't have connections didn't have a grip on the language and you know played a bit of like a little bit parts but at the same time you know we grew up living the kind of immigrants fantasy of like making it in america you know so it was just important that we all worked really hard that's why i started so young yeah and you did start pretty i mean by the time you're what like 11 or 12 you're successful yeah i did my first film at 11 and did my first like real fashion shoot at 11 and stuff and the modeling kind of took off right very quickly and uh it was very controversial and stuff yeah it made a big splash pretty

early on for like probably all the wrong reasons well it is so you know i went down like that again today would never go down no totally i mean like i went down like such a product of the 80s it's not even funny again it worked out um but like the youtube rabbit hole for you is kind of fascinating because Like, there are these early interviews with you. Oh, my God, it's so embarrassing. Like, on the Return to Blue Lagoon press tour. I can't. Well, it's not even, I mean, I wouldn't even be embarrassed for yourself.

It's more, I'm almost more embarrassed for, like, the questions you were asked and the way you were positioned. Because it's like you're really young. Yeah. And it's like you're, obviously a lot's being talked about your beauty and your. Yes, and like, what is it like to feel, like, sensual? Which is just not right. It's not. How would you ask a child about being, I mean, now I look at it.

cringe and my answers and I'm trying to be so mature and I'm like well and like the tone of my voice I just want to like if I was her mother I would just grab me and like shake me and be like don't you ever say that again well your daughter's probably about the age now when you were yes yes she just turned 11 oh no worries um yeah so it's crazy but you know at the same time It's like my daughter has an incredible talent, too. She's an amazing actress. And actually, like, if my mom had her,

it probably would have been a very different kind of career because my daughter is actually really amazing. Like, she's going to be the award winner in the family. Like, she's, like, that good kind of thing. And... We'll skip over the Blue Lagoon movie. We'll just go right to... Do you know what I mean?

Like, actually, we've been letting her go on a few auditions, and she goes to acting class and she's really serious about it and she got requested to go in for like this horror movie and I was like absolutely not you're better than that you're not going to have the career that I had

you're going to like do different things it's like the typical that you know but it's true like I felt like your talent is amazing like we have to save it for something that's really going to showcase it in the best possible way you know that's awesome and because we don't need to like

like farm her out to work you know we're not in that position which is great and that leads me to the other thought which is like when you're like being so successful at that point was there any downside to kind of being the breadwinner for the family is that

is that a lot to put on a 12 or 13 year old? I mean I guess it is but then again I feel like I definitely grew up with a lot of responsibility which you know I think in this day and age like people

don't have that responsibility. A little more. Well, yeah, you have like adults who are growing up in their 20s that don't know how to do like simple things for themselves, you know? And for me, I was supporting my family. It's such an early age. I had like, you know, I had a job to do and I did have pressure. But by the way, I think pressure is important for humans, you know. That's what that's what makes us strong people, you know. Yeah. So, so I feel like if I had, I mean, trust me, my daughter might not be working, but, like, the amount of homework that we do every day, I feel like I'm in detention. Do you know what I'm saying?

Like, because we demand that she gets, like, nothing less than a B. And, you know, it's, like, crazy. She's in a French school. And, you know, by the time Taekwondo is finished, and by the time homework is finished, sometimes it's like 10.30 at night. And she's still up. So she works hard. A different kind of a life that then you were leading, seemingly in your team. I mean, like, to read about you in your teens, I feel like if I looked up, like, rebellious in the dictionary at 16, I would see Milit Yovovic.

Me? Seriously? Well, come on. There was a lot of kids that were much worse than me. Again, and look, it all worked out in the end, but like... I mean, I survived. That's what I'm saying. You survived. You've got a good head on your shoulders, a good family. But by the way, I feel like if I didn't have the responsibility to my family, I could have gone off the deep end. Right. But I always had that kind of... of pulling me back when people were like, yeah, let's just go to one more thing. I'd be like,

no, I got to go to work tomorrow. I got to, I have things to do. Like, I knew that I couldn't let people down around me. And I think that was like something that kind of gave me this big stop sign in my head. Sure. So that where I could have potentially killed myself, you know, doing drugs or doing crazy stuff. Like, it was, it was the one thing that kind of gave me a guideline of like to know when to stop, to know when to say no. What did the fam make of the decision to be on the cover of high times at the age of 16? This disaster. Oh my God. My mom was heartbroken. Oh, it was awful. It was really awful. But, you know, I think God I wasn't living at home by that point because, you know, I just talked to her on the phone and thank God we didn't have Skype or FaceTime back then either. Because I just kind of helped. I just like held the phone like about six inches away from my ear and I could still hear her yelling. You're like, the good news is I got another magazine cover.

Yes, yes. Like, but by the way, I feel like she didn't even see it for ages, too, because like when would my mom see high times? Right, different times. You could have actually, yeah. So it was a couple of years before I had to face that music. And that was in the period. So like, you know, before Fifth Element, you were appearing in films.

You did Days and Confused. That's like, understanding. You took a bit of a break after Days and Confused. Did some music got into your music. career was was that a conscious effort to step back from film for a little while it was it was because i i definitely um you know as an actor i i i never had like this natural talent that some people do and it would have behooved me to have gone to class it would have it would have done better i think for me long term i mean saying that it's like 30 years later and i'm still

around doing an interview with you for Hellboy. But I'm just saying, like, my career as a young person could have been much more credible if I would have worked on my talent more. But because I had to start... I mean, probably back to your other question of, like, is there anything that wasn't good

about starting so young? I think, you know, growing up in the public eye, when you don't have that talent, like, grounded yet, was really difficult because, you know, I was horrible in Richards of Blue Lagoon and the movie got horrible. reviews and at 14 I'm reading like these awful things about me you know so it was really difficult and that you know my confidence was really low and you know it's it's hard I mean of course there is

like a fake until you make it that people should have if they're in this business but it helps when you really are secure with what you can do yeah and I just wasn't so of course I was on this kind of quest to find myself and so music I felt like more mine like it was something that I would do every day. I would write. I would play guitar. It was like I would put the time in and I just never had time to go to acting class because I was like modeling and traveling and working already, you know? So by the time you get on the set and you land this amazing role in Fifth Element, which is obviously a huge opportunity. Everybody did by the time Luke was on top of the world. How did you have the confidence to achieve what you did in that one?

Or was it... Well, funny, you should ask that because I worked, like, for four months before principal photography started. Luke had me in, like, a few different acting classes, performing. I was working with private coaches. Because, I mean, even if I was the best actor in the world, like, it's such a crazy character. And it's so different from anything that we've ever seen before that, like, he was,

was just trying to get me out of my head completely yeah because you would in a way have to like make such a fool of yourself playing this part and feel so stupid most of the time and just have to like trust that like it he's getting it right um that he he didn't want me like coming in as myself he wanted me completely clean leave yourself at the door and just bring this like a little creature in when you come um so it took a lot for me to get rid of like a lot of emotional baggage and stuff and you know working like consistently for those months like was something that I had never done before it was like such a gift that he gave me you know because I actually discovered that you know if I work hard I can achieve being a good actor you know yeah um as you can imagine

given what's in this office in my age like that that film just rocked my world it's one of the only films that my kids can watch that I've ever made so I'm so grateful for it. Yeah, it's just, it's so out there in the best possible way and there's so much richness in the film. And so many great, I mean, like Chris Tucker Yeah, what Olman's doing, what everybody's doing is just everyone's going for broke and somehow

it works. Yeah, it really does. No, everything came together for that movie. It was one of my favorite, favorite experiences ever. Is that language like burned into your brain until you're buying day? Kind of burned into my head. I mean, not like, the nitty-gritty anymore, but you know, definitely the feeling of

playing li lu will never leave and i think there's always like you know funnily enough i think when luke saw me and i audition for it it wasn't like i had to read the lines but he asked me to speak gibberish and stuff and i think there was a little part of li lu in me that he saw yeah um and then to be able to really like work on that more and solidify like her spirit in me i feel like she'll always be there and totally you know that that kind of like you know i've always been fascinated with reality and that kind of like awe that you feel when you wake up every morning be like wow look at the sunrise wow life is great you know are any of the memories of that film colored by obviously you were in relationship with luke luke's had some very unfortunate allegations against

him in the last year does that color at all sort of what you what you look back on obviously with a great deal of fondness and what was obviously an important part of your life i mean listen i I had the most incredible time on that film and, you know, Luke and I had a very, very big love and, you know, we've remained friends. I mean, I haven't spoken to him in quite a while in a couple of years, so, you know, I didn't know this side of him that is being portrayed today, that's for sure. No, I mean, I'm, it's like shocking to me, literally shocking to me. I can't imagine. Yeah, I mean, I got to spend a lot of time with him for, actually, I was on the set of Valerian, which was like, oh, like, just like bucket list. I'm sure that was probably crazy. Amazing, yeah. Anyway, coming, coming off of that experience, you obviously collaborate again on the messenger, another icon of John of Arc. Yeah, we did some amazing stuff together. I mean, he definitely brought out the best in me, that's for sure.

So, so going from those kind of iconic and kind of instantly, I mean, Joan of Arc is obviously an icon. Lelu became very quickly, someone that was embraced and still was embraced to this day by a generation. Was it a tough act to follow for you? I mean, you started, you worked with some really cool, like, you know, vendors, Michael Winterbottom. Like, yeah, I can see you, like, wanting to, like, work with, like, cool, different kind of filmmakers.

Was that happenstance? Was that a concerted kind of plan? Well, no, that was a concerted plan because, you know, between pretty much, like, my agents and, you know, also. at the same time, like, I looked at myself at that point as a serious actress. Like, I, you know, I definitely expected to, like, win awards and the whole nine yards. Um, so I was, like, trying to do indies and trying to do that whole thing and, um, and made some really great movies. You know, I think really once the whole Resident Evil thing kicked off for real, um, you know, it just became an end by,

the way by the third one I got pregnant the next year and then and then it just it started becoming very difficult to like do indie after end up to go after it all to do both that which was obviously very good to your life and yeah and it's something that I enjoy doing so much like and and by the way there was always this feeling that like when I do this big action movie like I know it's going to turn out great right and I can expect that it's going to be great because Paul's doing it and you know I just I there was a comfort factor in that as well like you do a bunch of indie films you never know what they're going to end up being and for the most part you know they're like okay but nothing like it takes a lot to have like an indie movie that really works you know

you have to do loads of them and after traveling with my kids with my daughter at the time like I didn't I think it's one point I did like four movies that year and I was excited exhausted. And I was like, this isn't fun. And I'm not being a fun mom. I'm always tired. I'm like, you know, I needed to slow down and just like choose what I wanted to do. And at that point, like, I definitely wanted to be an action hero. I really enjoyed that part of my life. Like, do I really need to go into these dark places to play these like dark characters or these dramas? And it does affect you after work. You can't just leave it at home. I mean, I'd probably takes a very special actor to be able to...

Appartmentalize it. Yeah, to not bring stuff home. But I decided, you know, I want to do fun things. Well, and you have less to prove, hopefully, to yourself. Like, you're not the 15-year-old where you were... It sounds like in your heart of hearts, you were like, I'm not ready for this. I don't deserve this.

Yes, yes. Now, look, you've worked with Edward Norton and De Niro and these great directors and held your own, more than held your own. Thank you. Thank you. And what did it give me? Where am I? I'm the queen of blood. Yeah, I mean, honestly, though, I mean, it was pretty much that movie Stone that I was like,

you know what, if I can't like win an award after being with these kind of guys and holding my own and being super happy with my performance, but the movie was like not great and just go, what does it take, you know? So I just went, you know what, there's some, there's, the universe is telling me something that I should just, rather than trying so hard, to like win an award, why don't you just have fun and do what makes you feel good?

Right. Because you can't go wrong with that. Yeah. And it's like if you do what makes you feel good, even if the movie does turn out crappy, at least you had fun doing it and at least like you had a great time. And so you can always stand behind it, you know?

So no matter how cheesy something is or no matter what, like, you know, I could go to sleep at night knowing that I did it for the right reasons, you know? And you worked with Paul again recently You said that that's the Ron Perlman Oh for Monster Hunter, yeah So what's what's a Paul Anderson set?

Like what's your husband? How does he run his sets that you Obviously you enjoy it because you love your husband hopefully But also you probably enjoy whatever environment he's created Paul is A really incredible director And he's one of the most loved directors around Like you ask any crew that he's ever worked with

And they're like, Paul is the best because you know what Paul takes his job super seriously and he thinks like a producer as well so he's super super organized and super on top of it he starts prep you know so far in advance so by the time we start shooting he's got everything storyboarded he's got everything so ready and already editing things

in his own head so he's like cutting things before he's shot them because he knows that you know what most likely this is going to end up on the cutting room floor anyway right and like you save money that way you save building sets you save you know headaches i mean you know it's it's it's it's it's just trust me when i say it's rare to work with people that are that organized and that are that on top of it because you know a lot of directors especially when they do action or fantasy and they're like serious they kind of leave it to their first they kind of leave it to other people and they don't care as much because it's like oh this isn't a

serious movie right and um you know for paul like this is his life he's like this is how he grew up he was like the dungeon master when he was a kid you know like he was writing scripts for his like five friends you know in their basement you know in newcastle right um and now he's like it's funny because i still write scripts now i just get paid to do what i love you know it's like back then and I was the dungeon master and I just did it for fun. Do you have, I mean, you're raising a couple of kids. You're pretty busy, clearly.

Do you consume much in terms of film and TV? What do you, what do you? You know what? I don't get... Do you watch through your kids or what are you... Well, listen, I don't watch enough because, yeah, in our house to watch a movie takes like four days because the kids keep running in

and we have to pause it because if it's something scary or something, you know, Like, Racy, you know, forget about trying to watch Game of Thrones. I mean, you know, it's like, please, like there's always going to be like a butt or PIPCA's, you know, in Russian. It's like, I think I can figure it out. I shouldn't be looking at Pee Pekas. I was like, boom, pause, you know. But what I did do, and I felt like it was my right to do this the last month.

Well, actually, it took me like about three weeks to get through all. nine seasons of the office. That's time worth doing. I worked incredibly hard. Congratulations. Thank you. I put the time in. I laid in bed for weeks just watching episode after.

That's just sheer joy. That's just. And it's funny because I really related to Jim, especially like, you know, with the whole Hellboy of it all because when Hellboy came about, like I was kind of, you know, just wondering, like, what am I going to do now? Resident Evil is finished. And like, and then suddenly I. I had this real gym moment where I was like,

what am I going to do with all this useless information in my head? You know, like, I've done for the last 20 years. I've, like, fought zombies and done wirework. And I really know how to work closely with the visual effects department. And, you know, I definitely make things easier on one of those sets. Like, I'm a pro when it comes to this. But, like, what am I going to do now? Like, where am I going to use this stuff?

You know, so it was actually perfect when Hellboy came. up because I was like, great, here we go again, let's do it. So when you're on set of Hellboy, you're as much an advisor expert that can be like, guys, I know how this. Well, I mean, listen, definitely if there's a problem, I can help fix it. You know, I mean, there's certain things that, like, I mean, that on different action films, like, I didn't realize that certain stunt people didn't run in heels. Well, I've been running in heels my whole life, so I didn't need my stunt double on.

the thing because I was like, well, I'll just do it. I can run in heels. You know, so certain things like that or even like, you know, there's a point where my character gets sewn back together by these witches and I sort of like, you know, get up and do these kind of weird things and and walking in this weird way. And when I was imagining it in my head, I thought, you know, she's going to have problems. It's been 5,000 years since she's moved her body. Like there's probably they're gonna probably add something in post or do those like weird cuts to make me look truncated so i like did it first yeah because i i knew that that would help them do you know that that would just make less to like make those cuts and make it more real too you know so it

wouldn't have to look just like a visual effect you know sure there's little things like that where i'm thinking ahead you know and then just saving things time like when i was chopped up on the couch and they cut they cut a hole in the couch for me to kneel in and you know they're like oh do you want to get out of the hole to stretch your legs but it was like three o'clock in the morning and i'm like you know what i don't need to stretch my legs i'm used to be uncomfortable let's just keep shooting because i know once i get out of the hole it's going to take like 20 minutes to get back in and have them rearrange everything it's like it's fine so you know that's like it goes with the property like you hire me for a movie like she's got a set of skills guys you know what i mean i

I can deal with, like, pretty harsh climates. I can deal with really awkward, uncomfortable situations. You don't want to let this get out there, because now they're just going to hire you for the toughest possible shoots. Are you kidding? No, that's what my mom says. She's like, I cannot believe it.

You work for it. They make you work for it. Have you ever done it all where you've had that kind of accent, the traditional, like, the Russian accent? Oh, sure, that's right. That was like my kind of, you know, homage to my... That must have been delightful. Of course, my mom has no clue what I'm talking about.

I'm just like, I don't sound like that. I was like, okay. Amazing. And then, okay, so wrapping up full circle, so what are you telling your daughter as she starts to endeavor on this? Like, are you, is she listening to you for advice or is she sort of charting her own path? Well, listen, the interesting thing about my daughter is that she does listen to my advice for sure, but it's like I'm learning from her as much as she's learning from me because, you know,

never been that close to a kid that's so naturally talented and just for me to watch her like she needs help sometimes just to like connect with something but once she like plugs in and is able to relate to it in her own way she just flies and it's like crazy because she she underplays things like most kids overdo it right but like her first instinct is to like underdo it which is just so fabulous to watch because it's just real like sometimes it just doesn't even feel like she's acting you know and um and it was great we were rehearsing for this audition and somehow it just wasn't she wasn't connecting with it and i didn't you know i definitely don't well anyway she said to me mom well what do you want like just tell me what you want and i'll do it and you know that was how my mom

rehearsed with me she would just like say the line and have me imitate her and it wasn't good because my imitation was never as good as her performance because it was always second best to her. Yeah, you find her own paths into it. I said, honey, I can't tell you what to do. You gotta find it yourself. That's the only way that it's gonna ring true is if you find it.

I said, well, you know, why don't we just talk about it a little bit more? Like what's the scene? What's the character? I said, you know, because in the scene, she's angry at her mom and of course she never gets angry with me. No, I'm kidding. But I was like, what was the last time you were angry with me?

Bobo. We were trying to think, but, you know, she has to be like, you're ruining my life. I hate you, okay? And I, you know, we were just trying to figure it out. And I said, well, when was the last time you felt super frustrated? And she goes, oh, my God, it's school with my math teacher. And I just wanted to tell her. And immediately she goes off.

And I was like, perfect. Use that in the scene. And, like, it was amazing. Like, she literally started crying during the scene. She was, like, so good, you know? So it's, yeah, it's one of those things where we learn from each other and, and, you know. It's crazy to think how far we've come, again, from this, even this conversation, you talk about the insecurities as a teenager, not feeling like you didn't have the stuff. And isn't that funny?

If I didn't go through that, who knows, I might be telling my daughter to parrot me. Right. Do you know what I mean? But, like, if I didn't go through that, I wouldn't be able to help her just find it herself. And, I mean, it's so true. like everything happens for a reason. If only I would have known back then that like, don't worry, your insecurity and you're, you know, feeling pathetic is really going to pay off in the end when your kid is

like ready to start. I think we got a heartwarming way to end this conversation for this nice R-rated, sick, twisted fun movie, hell boy. It is fun. It is sick and twisted. I had a great time. You know, when I watch my movies, I'm always so. nervous and I feel like sometimes I just can't like get into the film because I'm like

critiquing myself but with this one as you know as soon because I'm open the movie kind of you do yeah in a big way I really enjoyed it and suddenly I just went with it and didn't even think about it anymore and I had such a great time watching it I and I had to close my eyes during times which is saying something because I know like how they do all that stuff but if I have to close my eyes you know that something's scary too and by the way her character is pretty resilient. Don't be worried in the first five minutes. It might seem like she's not going to last too long. A little beheading never hurt anybody. And stabbing through the heart and chopping into little pieces and buried alive. If anyone can bounce back from that,

it's Milo. It's fine. Thanks for stopping by today. Always welcome here. Good to get to know you. Thank you. And so ends another edition of happy, sad, confused. Remember to review, rate, and subscribe to this show on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm a big podcast person. I'm Daisy Ridley and I definitely wasn't pressured to do this by Josh. fall releases. We have Leonardo DiCaprio leading a revolution in one battle after another, Timothy Salome playing power ping pong in Marty Supreme. Let's not forget Emma Stone and Jorgos Lanthamos' Bougonia. Dwayne Johnson's coming for that Oscar. In The Smashing

Machine, Spike Lee and Denzel teaming up again, plus Daniel DeLuis's return from retirement. There will be plenty of blockbusters to chat about two. Tron Aries looks exceptional. Plus Mortal Kombat, too. And Edgar writes, The Running Man, starring Glenn Powell. for Raiders of the Lost podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.