Milla Jovovich

 Milla Jovovich (/ ˈ j oʊ v ə v ɪ tʃ/   YOH  -və-vich ; born Milica Jovović[nb 1] [nb 2] December 17, 1975)[2] is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. During her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, earning her the sobriquet "reigning queen of kick-butt" from the music channel VH1 in 2006.[3]

Jovovich began modeling when Herb Ritts photographed her for the cover of the Italian magazine Lei ("She") in 1987.[4] [5] Richard Avedon then featured her in Revlon's "Most Unforgettable Women in the World" advertisements and she also appeared in campaigns for L'Oréal cosmetics, Banana Republic, Christian Dior, Donna Karan, and Versace. In 1988, she made her first professional acting appearance in the television film The Night Train to Kathmandu and, later that year, she appeared in her first feature film, Two Moon Junction. After a few more lower-profile film and television appearances, such as in the Married... with Children episode "Fair Exchange" (1989)[6] as a French girl, Jovovich gained notoriety following her appearance in the 1991 romance film Return to the Blue Lagoon. In 1992 and 1993, she appeared as Christian Slater's character's love interest in Kuffs and as one of the teenagers in the comedy coming-of-age film Dazed and Confused, before her breakthrough alongside Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman in the 1997 Luc Besson science-fiction film The Fifth Element. She then appeared as the central character Joan of Arc in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999), also directed by Besson, who was then her husband.

In 2002, Jovovich starred in the film adaptation of the video game Resident Evil, which, although disliked by critics,[7] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[8] proved very successful.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[9] To date, four sequels have followed in which she has reprised her role of Alice: Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-new_release_date_12-0">[10] and Resident Evil: Retribution (2012).

Jovovich released a music album, The Divine Comedy, in 1994. She continues to release demos for other songs on her official website and contributes to film soundtracks. She has yet, however, to release another album. In 2003, she and model Carmen Hawk created the clothing line Jovovich-Hawk. It ceased operations in early 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[11] Prior to its demise, its items could be found at Fred Segal in Los Angeles, Harvey Nichols and over fifty other stores around the world.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[citation needed]

Jovovich now has her own production company, Creature Entertainment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-H.26Q_14-0">[12]

Early life and family [edit]
Milla Jovovich was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, former Soviet Union, the daughter of Bogić Jovović, a Serbian<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-history_15-0">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[14] pediatrician, and Galina Jovovich (née Loginova), a Russian<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Forbes_17-0">[15] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[16] stage actress. She was raised in the Russian Orthodox religion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[17] She considers herself Russian and Montenegrin.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[18]

Milla's paternal family's estate was in Zlopek near Peć. Her paternal great-grandfather, Bogić Camić Jovović, was a flag-bearer of the Vasojevići clan and an officer in the guard of King Nicholas I of Montenegro; his wife's name was Milica, after whom Milla was named. Her paternal grandfather, Bogdan Jovović, was a commander in the Pristina military area, and later investigated finances in the military areas of Skopje and Sarajevo, where he uncovered massive gold embezzlement. He was punished for refusing to convict a friend of the crime. Later, the government briefly imprisoned him in Goli otok for refusing to testify. When he feared that he could be arrested again, he escaped to Albania and later moved to Kiev. A different version of the story claims that he was the one who took the gold. Milla's father, Bogić, later joined Bogdan in Kiev, where he and his sister graduated in medicine.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated1_21-0">[19] In 2000, her grandfather, Bogdan Jovović, died in Kiev.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-V_Russia_22-0">[20] Her mother was born in Tuapse (now in Russia) but moved in her childhood to Dnipropetrovsk (now in Ukraine).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[21] Her mother played a part in several films, including Vykrutasy, and the 2012 American silent film Silent Life.

In 1980, when Milla was five years old, her family left the Soviet Union for political reasons<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SSS_24-0">[22] and moved to London. They subsequently moved to Sacramento, California, settling in Los Angeles seven months later. Milla's parents divorced soon after their arrival in Los Angeles.

In 1988, as a result of her father's relationship with a woman from Argentina,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[23] Milla's half-brother<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[24] Marco Jovovich, was born.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[25] Milla's mother attempted to support the family with acting jobs, but found little success, and eventually resorted to cleaning houses to earn money. Her mother and father both provided cooking and cleaning services for director Brian De Palma.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Wang_28-0">[26] Milla's father was incarcerated for participating in an illegal operation concerning medical insurance; he was given a 20-year sentence in 1994,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-prison_29-0">[27] but was released in 1999 after serving five years in an American prison.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-V_Russia_22-1">[20] According to Milla, "Prison was good for him. He's become a much better person. It gave him a chance to stop and think."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-telegraph_30-0">[28]

Milla attended public schools in Los Angeles, and became fluent in English in three months (as is common with young children).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[29] In school, she was teased by classmates because she had emigrated from the Soviet Union during the Cold War: "I was called a commie and a Russian spy. I was never, ever, ever accepted into the crowd."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Europe_32-0">[30] At age 12, in seventh grade, Milla left school to focus on modeling.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cafe_33-0">[31] She has stated that she was rebellious during her early teens, engaging in drug use, shopping mall vandalism, and credit-card fraud.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-telegraph_30-1">[28] In 1994, she became a U.S. citizen.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-houstonpress_34-0">[32]

Modeling career [edit]
At the age of nine, Jovovich began going to modeling auditions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Wang_28-1">[26] She was discovered by Gene Lemuel, who shot test photos of her and later showed them to Herb Ritts in LA.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PurpleLove_6-1">[4] The next day Ritts booked her for the cover of Lei, an Italian magazine.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PurpleLove_6-2">[4] After Jovovich booked Lei, she was signed by Prima Modeling Agency<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35">[33] then Richard Avedon hired her for Mademoiselle.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PurpleLove_6-3">[4] Avedon was head of marketing at Revlon at the time, and chose Jovovich to appear with models Alexa Singer and Sandra Zatezalo in Revlon's "Most Unforgettable Women in the World" advertisements.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36">[34] In 1988, she made her first professional model contract.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SSS_24-1">[22] Jovovich was among other models who ignited controversy by becoming involved in the industry at a young age.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arena_37-0">[35]

Later, Jovovich made it to the cover of The Face, which led to new contracts and covers of Vogue and Cosmopolitan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SSS_24-2">[22] Since then, she has graced over one hundred magazine covers, including Seventeen, Mademoiselle, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, and InStyle.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38">[36] Her modeling career has included various campaigns for Banana Republic, Christian Dior, Damiani, Donna Karan, Gap, Versace, Calvin Klein, DKNY, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coach,_Inc. Coach ], Giorgio Armani, H&M, and Revlon. Since 1998, Jovovich has been an "international spokesmodel" for L'Oréal cosmetics. She also had a minor cameo in Bret Easton Ellis' novel Glamorama, a satire of society's obsession with celebrities and beauty.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39">[37]

In an article published in 2002, she was said to be Miuccia Prada's muse<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arena_37-1">[35] and in an article published in 2003, Harpers & Queen magazine claimed Jovovich was Gianni Versace's "favourite supermodel".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-H.26Q_14-1">[12] In 2004, Jovovich topped Forbes magazine's "Richest Supermodels of the World" list, earning a reported $10.5 million.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Forbes_17-1">[15] In 2006, Jovovich was picked up by Spanish clothing line Mango as their new spokesmodel and is currently featured in their ad campaigns;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40">[38] she can also be seen in advertisements for Etro. She has noted that "Modeling was never a priority"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41">[39] and it instead enables her "to be selective about the creative decisions [she] make[s]".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-H.26Q_14-2">[12]

Early work (1985–1993) [edit]
Jovovich's mother had "raised [her] to be a movie star"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-telegraph_30-2">[28] and in 1985, enrolled Jovovich in the Professional Actors school in California.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SSS_24-3">[22] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42">[40] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43">[41]

In 1988, she appeared in her first professional role in the made-for-television film The Night Train to Kathmandu as Lily McLeod. Later that year, she made her debut in a theatrically released picture with a small role, as Samantha Delongpre, in the romantic thriller Two Moon Junction. Following roles on the television series Paradise (1988), Married... with Children (1989) and Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990), Jovovich was cast as the lead as Lilli Hargrave in Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991). This sequel to The Blue Lagoon (1980) placed her opposite Brian Krause. Return to the Blue Lagoon led to comparisons between her and child model-turned-actress, Brooke Shields (who had starred in the original)—Jovovich was often called by press the "Slavic Brooke Shields".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-yahoo_44-0">[42] The role also gained her controversy, much like Shields gained in The Blue Lagoon, for appearing nude at a young age.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Europe_32-1">[30] For her portrayal of Lilli Hargrave, Jovovich was nominated for both "Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture" at the 1991 Young Artist Awards, and "Worst New Star" at the 1991 Golden Raspberry Awards.

In 1992, Milla Jovovich co-starred with Christian Slater in the comedy Kuffs. Later that year, she portrayed Mildred Harris in the Charlie Chaplin biographical film Chaplin. 1993 saw Jovovich in the Richard Linklater cult film Dazed and Confused, in which she played Michelle Burroughs, on screen girlfriend to Pickford (played by her then real life boyfriend Shawn Andrews). Jovovich was heavily featured in the promotional material for the film, however, upon the film's release, she was upset to find her role was considerably trimmed from the original script.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-yahoo_44-1">[42] The bulk of Jovovich's role was to be shot on the last day of filming; however, she was misinformed of the date, and ultimately had one line in the film, "No", in addition to singing a line from "The Alien Song" from her album, The Divine Comedy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Oxymoron_45-0">[43] Discouraged, she took a hiatus from acting roles,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46">[44] during which time she moved to Europe and began focusing on a music career.

Breakthrough (1997–2001) [edit]
Jovovich at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.Jovovich returned to acting in 1997 with a lead in the Luc Besson-directed science fiction action film The Fifth Element, alongside Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman. She portrayed Leeloo, an alien from a race of "supreme beings" who helps to save the planet. Jovovich said she "worked like hell: no band practice, no clubs, no pot, nothing"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-work_47-0">[45] to acquire the role and impress Besson, whom she married on December 14, 1997, but later divorced. Jovovich also co-created and mastered an alien language of over 400 words for her role.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-yahoo_44-2">[42] She wore a costume that came to be known as the "ACE-bandage" costume, a revealing body suit made of medical bandages designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-yahoo_44-3">[42] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48">[46] The Fifth Element was selected as the opening film for the 1997 Cannes Film Festival and its worldwide box office gross was over $263 million, more than three times its budget of $80 million.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49">[47] The Fifth Element was often praised for its visual style and unique costumes, and film reviewer James Berardinelli, explained "Jovovich makes an impression, although her effectiveness has little to do with acting and less to do with dialogue".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50">[48] Jovovich was nominated for "Favorite Female Newcomer" at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_Inc. Blockbuster Entertainment Awards ] and "Best Fight" at the MTV Movie Awards. Jovovich's portrayal of Leeloo inspired a video game and a planned action figure, but the figure was never released due to licensing problems.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51">[49] In a 2003 interview, Jovovich said Leeloo was her favorite role to portray.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Leeloo_52-0">[50]

In 1998, Jovovich had a role in the Spike Lee drama He Got Game as abused prostitute Dakota Burns, appearing with Denzel Washington and Ray Allen. In 1999, she appeared in the music video for the song "If You Can't Say No" by Lenny Kravitz. In 1999, Jovovich returned to the action genre playing the title role in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, reuniting her with director Luc Besson. She was featured in armor throughout several extensive battle scenes, and cut her hair to a short length for the role. Jovovich received generally good reviews for her performance, although she also received a Razzie Award nomination for "Worst Actress".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-yahoo_44-4">[42] The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc did moderately well at the box office, gaining $66 million worldwide.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53">[51] In 2000, Jovovich appeared as the troubled Eloise in The Million Dollar Hotel, a film based on a concept story by Bono of the band U2 and Nicholas Klein. Directed by Wim Wenders, Jovovich starred alongside Jeremy Davies and Mel Gibson, in addition to providing vocals on the film's soundtrack. Afterwards, she portrayed bar owner Lucia, in the British western film The Claim (2000), and the evil Katinka in the cameo-laced comedy Zoolander (2001).

International success (2002–2006) [edit]
Jovovich at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.In 2002, Jovovich starred in the horror/action film Resident Evil, released in the United States on March 15, 2002 and based on the CAPCOM video game series of the same name. She portrayed Alice, the film's heroine, who fights a legion of zombies created by the evil Umbrella Corporation. Jovovich had accepted the role of Alice because she and her brother had been fans of the video game franchise, saying, "It was exciting for me just watching him play, I could sit for 5 hours and we would sit all day and play this game."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-54">[52] Jovovich had performed all the stunts required in the film, except for a scene that would involve her jumping to a cement platform, which her management deemed too dangerous,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55">[53] and had trained in karate, kickboxing, and combat-training.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56">[54] The film was commercially successful, grossing $17 million on its opening weekend, and gaining $40 million domestically and $102 million worldwide.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-57">[55] Later, she portrayed the manipulative gang wife Erin in No Good Deed (2002), Nadine in the romantic comedy You Stupid Man (2002), punk rocker Fangora ("Fanny") in Dummy (2003), and provided a guest voice on the television series King of the Hill. The role of Fangora in Dummy, allowed Jovovich to act in film with Oscar-winning Adrien Brody, who was a friend prior to filming. Jovovich found it easy to identify with this role because she felt Fangora, as opposed to previous characters, possessed similar qualities to the actress' own life.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Leeloo_52-1">[50]

In 2004, Jovovich reprised the role of Alice in the sequel to Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Apocalypse. The role required her to do fight training for three hours a day,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Leeloo_52-2">[50] in addition to the three months prior to filming in which she had "gun training, martial arts, everything".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-58">[56] Apocalypse received even more negative reactions from the critics than the first film, but it was an even greater commercial success, ranking number one at the box office unlike the first film. Following the release of the film, Jovovich was unhappy with the critical results and director Alexander Witt's effort.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-punk_59-0">[57] She noted during an interview that year that her large action films take care of the commercial part of her career, while she acts in "independent little films that never come out" to appease her artistic side, and "It's a good balance".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Leeloo_52-3">[50] The following year, she was featured in Gore Vidal's faux trailer remake of Caligula, as Drusilla. In 2006, Jovovich's film, the science fiction/action thriller Ultraviolet, was released on March 3. She played the title role of Violet Song jat Shariff, a role that also involved heavily choreographed fight sequences and Gun Kata, a fictional martial art combining statistical analysis and gunplay. It was not screened for critics, but when reviewed, it was critically panned,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Tomatoes_60-0">[58] grossing $31 million worldwide.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-61">[59] That year, Jovovich also starred in .45, as Kat, the revenge driven girlfriend of an illegal gun and drug dealer with Scottish actor and DJ Angus Macfadyen.

Recent and future roles (2007–present) [edit]
In 2007, Jovovich reprised her role as Alice in Resident Evil: Extinction, the third of the Resident Evil series. The film grossed an estimated $24 million in 2,828 theaters on its opening weekend, topping the box office gross for that week.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-62">[60] It opened stronger than its predecessor, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, which opened with $23 million in 3,284 theaters (over 450 more theaters than Extinction).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-63">[61] In a March 2006 interview, Jovovich said that she would not appear in another action film "for a long time", expressing a desire to portray more diverse roles,<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[citation needed] but she added that talks of another sequel in the Resident Evil franchise were a "real possibility".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-64">[62] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-65">[63] Jovovich speaking at WonderCon 2012 about Resident Evil.In 2009, Jovovich starred in David Twohy's A Perfect Getaway with Kiele Sanchez, Timothy Olyphant, and Steve Zahn. The film is a thriller about a newlywed couple (Milla and Zahn) on their honeymoon in Hawaii. Filming began Spring 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-punk_59-1">[57]

Jovovich played Lucetta, the wife of a jailed arsonist (played by Edward Norton) in Stone, a psychological thriller starring Robert De Niro. Filming began in May 2009 at the recently closed Southern Michigan Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-66">[64]

Jovovich played the part of Dr. Abigail Tyler in the science-fiction thriller The Fourth Kind<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67">[65] and will star in the psychological thriller Faces in the Crowd,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-68">[66] which is written and directed by Julien Magnat;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-69">[67] in the latter film, she plays the survivor of a serial killer’s attack that leaves her suffering from a condition called prosopagnosia, which renders her unable to recognize faces.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-70">[68]

Jovovich returned as Alice<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-71">[69] in the fourth movie of the Resident Evil series, Afterlife, which was directed by her husband, Paul W. S. Anderson.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-72">[70] She had a role in Dirty Girl, which premiered on September 12, 2010 at the Toronto Film Festival, opposite Juno Temple, William H. Macy, Mary Steenburgen, and Tim McGraw. Jovovich starred in Paul W. S. Anderson's The Three Musketeers, as Milady de Winter, in 2011.

Jovovich is set to star in David R. Ellis' horror film Bad Luck, based on a screenplay by David Schouw.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-73">[71] She will appear in Famke Janssen's debut directional film Bringing Up Bobby, which also stars Marcia Cross. Vykrutasy, a Russian film which translates into Lucky Trouble, also stars Jovovich.

Jovovich was set to portray Amalia Bezhetskaya in The Winter Queen in 2007; however, with the announcement of her pregnancy early that year, the film was postponed. In the spring of 2011, Seven Arts and GFM Films announced they would be merging their distribution operations. The joint venture is expected to release The Winter Queen under the direction of Fyodor Bondarchuk.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-74">[72]

She returned to her role as Alice in the fifth installment of Resident Evil for Resident Evil: Retribution, which was released on September 14, 2012.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-75">[73]

Awards and nominations [edit]
Jovovich has been nominated for numerous awards. In 1992, she was nominated for Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture at the Young Artist Awards for her role in Return to the Blue Lagoon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-76">[74]

In 1997, she was nominated for the Saturn Best Supporting Actress award,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-post_77-0">[75] the Blockbuster Entertainment Best New Actress award,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-78">[76] the the MTV Movie Best Fight Scene Award (between her and aliens),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-79">[77] for her role as Leeloo in The Fifth Element. Conversely she also received a nomination for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress for the role.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-80">[78]

In 2002, she received a nomination for the Saturn Best Actress Award for her role as Alice in Resident Evil and won Best Actress in a sci-fi/action film for Resident Evil: Extinction from the Scream Awards in 2008.

She has also been nominated for Best Horror Actress at the 2010 Scream Awards for her performance as Dr. Abigail Tyler in The Fourth Kind, and won the Hollywood Spotlight Award for Best Actress at the 14th Annual Hollywood Awards Gala for her role as Lucetta in Stone.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-81">[79]

Music career [edit]
Jovovich had begun working on a music album as early as 1988, when she was signed by SBK Records after the company heard a demo she recorded.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-music_82-0">[80] In August 1990, she asserted in an interview that the then-forthcoming album would be "a mix between Kate Bush, Sinéad O'Connor, This Mortal Coil, and the Cocteau Twins".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-83">[81] After it was initially presented by SBK strictly as a pop album, Jovovich protested, insisting on using her personal poetry for lyrics and recording her own instrumental material.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-music_82-1">[80] Jovovich had written the songs when she was fifteen, with the exception of a Ukrainian folk song, "In a Glade", that she covered. In April 1994, billed under her first name, she released The Divine Comedy, a title that was a reference to the epic poem by Dante Alighieri of the same name. Jovovich had chosen the title after seeing Russian artist Alexis Steele's proposed cover artwork sketch for the then untitled album. Jovovich found that the sketch had "all the struggle that I'm singing about. It IS the divine comedy".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-music_82-2">[80] The Divine Comedy was well received by critics, and featured pop-infused traditional Ukrainian folk songs that led to comparisons with musicians Tori Amos and Kate Bush.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Wang_28-2">[26] John McAlley of Rolling Stone called the album "remarkable", "strikingly mature and rich in invention", and as featuring "angst-laced poetry with vivid melodies and arrangements that find a common spirit in synth pop, European folk and psychedelic dream rock".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-84">[82] Jovovich released the track "Gentleman Who Fell", with an accompanying music video, as the sole single from the album. The music video was originally directed by Lisa Bonet and featured Harry Dean Stanton, but Jovovich was unsatisfied with the results and decided to film another version. The second version of "Gentleman Who Fell", a homage to Maya Deren's short film Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), was subsequently played on MTV. Jovovich toured the United States during most of 1994 to promote the album, opening for Toad the Wet Sprocket and Crash Test Dummies, as well as playing smaller acoustic sets. Jovovich had opted to perform in smaller and more intimate settings, turning down a musical appearance on Saturday Night Live. Milla has also been collaborating musically with longtime friend and musician Chris Brenner, who co-wrote with her on the Divine Comedy Album and who was the musical coordinator for the supporting tour. She and Brenner met in 1993 and have been working creatively on different ventures ever since.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Oxymoron_45-1">[43] Following The Divine Comedy, she expressed interest in releasing a second album, having had ten songs ready for a future recording that was intended for a Summer 1996 release.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Europe_32-2">[30] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cafe_33-1">[31] Despite the appearance of a lo-fi field recording The People Tree Sessions in 1998, Jovovich has yet to release a second album.

In May 1999, Jovovich along with Chris Brenner formed an experimental band called Plastic Has Memory, in which she wrote the songs, sang, and played electric guitar.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-85">[83] The band was "[m]uch heavier and darker than the vaguely Ukrainian folk-sounding elements of her first album" and had a similar sound to a grunge and trip hop Portishead.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-86">[84] Plastic Has Memory played about a dozen shows in Los Angeles and New York City for a potential Virgin Records album release,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-87">[85] one of which Mick Jagger had attended.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-88">[86] Though Plastic Has Memory was featured on Hollywood Goes Wild, a benefit celebrity compilation album, the group never formally released a record and is no longer together.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-89">[87]

Jovovich has contributed tracks to several of her film soundtracks, including The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) and Dummy (2002), and has also provided songs for the soundtracks of films in which she has not acted such as Underworld (2003) produced by musician Danny Lohner who was the bass player in Nine Inch Nails for many years. Her song "The Gentlemen Who Fell" was featured on the The Rules of Attraction soundtrack in 2002. In 2001, Jovovich was one of many celebrities whose vocals were featured in a cover of "We are Family" to raise money for the American Red Cross. She has appeared as guest vocalist on the song "Former Lover" on Deepak Chopra's album, A Gift of Love II: Oceans of Ecstasy (2002) and Legion of Boom (2004) by The Crystal Method.

Since 2003, Jovovich has worked with musician Maynard James Keenan, of Tool and A Perfect Circle, on his Industrial side project Puscifer,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-90">[88] contributing vocals to the track "REV 22:20", which was featured on various film soundtracks in its original or a remixed form.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-91">[89] As of January, 2009, she can be heard collaborating with Maynard and Danny Lohner on the Puscifer track called, "The Mission." She also performed the song at the first live Puscifer performance on February 13, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Danny Lohner, and longtime music collaborator Chris Brenner currently continue to record and perform with Jovovich who has made several highly praised appearances in recent years.

Jovovich continues to write songs which she refers to as "demos", and which are provided for free in MP3 format on her official website. She provides license to freely download and remix the tracks, but reserves the right to sell and issue them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-92">[90]

She announced via Twitter and her official website a new single called Electric Sky would be released. It was released on May 18, 2012 and it will be part of an EP she will be releasing. The date of its release has not been announced.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-93">[91] The song was presented at the Life Ball in 2012.

Fashion design [edit]
Jovovich and fellow model Carmen Hawk launched a line of clothing called Jovovich-Hawk in 2003. The pair opened a showroom in New York City's Greenwich Village on September 13, 2005, and the line lasted for four years. All of the dresses for Jovovich-Hawk line were designed by herself and her partner Carmen Hawk, in The atelier is based in Los Angeles, but pieces could be found at Fred Segal in Los Angeles, Harvey Nichols, and over 50 stores around the world. Vogue has praised the line for its "girl-about-town cult status most designers spend years trying to achieve."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Vogue_94-0">[92]

In November 2006, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and US Vogue nominated Jovovich-Hawk for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award. Jovovich-Hawk was nominated as a finalist, although Doo-Ri Chung took the top prize.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CFDA_95-0">[93]

In 2007, Jovovich and Hawk designed the costume for Jovovich's character in Resident Evil: Extinction. The shorts Alice, her character, wears are a variation on the 'Alice Star' Shorts from the Spring 2007 collection.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Wizard_96-0">[94] In late 2007, Jovovich-Hawk signed a deal to design a diffusion collection for Target's Go International campaign, following in the footsteps of Luella, Paul & Joe and Proenza Schouler.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SBcom_97-0">[95]

In late 2008, Jovovich and Hawk mutually agreed to end the business due to increased demands on their time. Jovovich explained, "I'm an artist. I'm not someone who can deal with shipping rates and taxes".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-98">[96]

Media personality [edit]
Jovovich and Ali Larter promoting Resident Evil: Afterlife at Comic Con 2010.Jovovich has been noted for her careers as a model, singer and actress. Music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt" for her roles in various sci-fi and action films<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-VH1_5-1">[3] and Rebecca Flint Marx of Allmovie said that despite the negative critical response for the Resident Evil films, the franchise has turned Jovovich into an "A-list action star".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-99">[97] Her action roles have given her a geek<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cinematical.com_100-0">[98] following for which MTV said she was "Every Geek's Dream Girl".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cinematical.com_100-1">[98] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-101">[99]

In 2004, Jovovich was ranked No. 69 on Maxim magazine's "Top 100 Hot List",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-102">[100] ranked No. 82 in 2005 and ranked No. 21 in 2010.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-103">[101] Maxim also named her No. 11 on their list of "Hottest Nerd Crushes".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-104">[102] In 2008, she was ranked No. 90 on Ask Men's Top 99 Women of 2008 List.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-105">[103] In 2011, Jovovich attended and sang at the birthday celebration of Mikhail Gorbachev. The actress also gave a speech in which she thanked Gorbachev, saying that when she and her family left the Soviet Union in 1980 they were sadly sure that they would never see their relatives again and that thanks to him they have been reunited again.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-106">[104]

In 1998 and 2012, she appeared in the Pirelli Calendar.

Personal life [edit]
Jovovich currently resides in homes in Los Angeles and New York<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-107">[105] with her husband, film writer and director Paul W. S. Anderson, whom she married on 22 August 2009.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-108">[106] The two met while working on the 2002 film Resident Evil, which Anderson wrote and directed, and in which Jovovich starred. Anderson proposed to Jovovich in 2003, but the two separated for a period of time before becoming a couple again.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-109">[107] On November 3, 2007, Jovovich gave birth to her and Anderson's first child, a daughter, Ever Gabo Anderson.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ever_name_110-0">[108] The child was born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, one day before Jovovich's due date of November 4.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-111">[109]

Prior to her relationship with Anderson, Jovovich married on-screen boyfriend Shawn Andrews in 1992 while filming Dazed and Confused together. Andrews was 21, while Jovovich was 16; the marriage was annulled by her mother two months later.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-112">[110] Shortly after the annulment, Jovovich moved to Europe with her friend and musician Chris Brenner where she met and then lived with her new boyfriend, Jamiroquai ex-bassist Stuart Zender, in London from May 1994 to October 1995.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-prison_29-1">[27] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Oxymoron_45-2">[43] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-113">[111] From 1995 to 1997, she dated photographer Mario Sorrenti. In Las Vegas, she married The Fifth Element director Luc Besson in 1997 where they went skydiving directly after the ceremony; they divorced in 1999.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-H.26Q_14-3">[12] Between 1998 and 2001, she befriended the young poet and musician, Anno Birkin, and each was the other's inspiration behind many of their compositions. Jovovich became involved with Birkin romantically just before his death in a car accident on November 8, 2001. Jovovich also dated<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-V_Russia_22-2">[20] former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, for seven months in 2000.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-yahoo_44-5">[42]

In 2006, Jovovich mentioned her interest in publishing her private diaries as an autobiography. She had kept a diary since childhood, writing about the locations she has traveled and "all the mad things that [she's] done". Jovovich has stated that she views publication as a way to "get it all into a book—like an autobiography", and it would have a "diary feel to it". However, she also commented that she was "...not sure how interested anyone would be in publishing it, or reading it, for that matter".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-114">[112] However, in 2010, Jovovich claimed the autobiography to be pure rumor stating, "I have no idea where that came from. I guess somebody said something about me publishing my diaries online and when I heard that I was like, 'No way'".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-115">[113]

In addition to being a former<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-twitter_116-0">[114] smoker,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-117">[115] Jovovich has advocated the legalization of cannabis, and appeared in a spread and on the cover for High Times.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arena_37-2">[35] In an article published in 1994, she admitted that her only vices were cigarettes and cannabis.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Oxymoron_45-3">[43] She practices yoga and meditates often in attempts to live a healthy lifestyle; although not affiliating with any specific religion, she prays and considers herself a "spiritual person".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-punk_59-2">[57] She avoids junk foods and prefers to cook for herself. She practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in addition to other varieties of martial arts. Jovovich also enjoys playing the guitar, writing in a diary, and writing poems and lyrics for songs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-118">[116]

Jovovich was born in the Ukrainian SSR of the former Soviet Union to a Russian mother and a Serbian father.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-russiannightsfest.com_119-0">[117] She has stated that her native language is Russian, and that she never learned to speak Serbian well. In addition to Russian and English, she also speaks some French.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Oxymoron_45-4">[43] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-SSSlang_120-0">[118] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-121">[119] She had referred to the role the Russian culture played in her life when she stated in 2005: "I have Russian mother, she was a famous actress in the USSR (Galina Loginova). And the first books, which I read, were in Russian. I was raised in the atmosphere of the Russian classical theatre school. The art, built on the system of Stanislavsky – that's the most realistic art. And the modern cinema stands on the same principle. A Russian person wants to find the truth. This is the base of the Russian culture. I never forget it, especially since I have Russian roots".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-russiannightsfest.com_119-1">[117] Jovovich established a charitable foundation in 2005 to help Ukrainian children.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ukraine_122-0">[120] At the time she referred to herself: "I am a strong Ukrainian girl, that is why I work a lot".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ukraine_122-1">[120]