Live with Regis & Kathie Lee November 11, 1999

Regis: We watched our next guest grow up here on TV. At 12 years of age she made her American television debut on our show. Three years later she returned when she made her first feature film.

Kathy Lee: That was that Blue Lagoon one.

Regis: Three years ago she was here for her role in The Fifth Element. Now starring as Joan of Arc, and here she is let’s take a look at what she looks like right now. Here’s Milla Jovovich.

(Enter Milla)

Regis: (chanting) Milla! Milla! Milla! Anyway you were born in Russia but lived in Los Angeles most of your life.

Milla: I grew up in Los Angeles.

Regis: Grew up in Los Angeles sure, and your mother was a Russian actress.

Kathy Lee: (hands Milla tissue) You made her cry Rege.

Milla: (fake sulking) I know. I’m so emotional. I haven’t been here in a while.

Regis: What happened?

Milla: (fake sulking) I’m so happy you had me back.

Kathy Lee: She missed us, yeah.

Milla: No it’s too much makeup in the morning. (laughing) I can’t deal with it. Yeah, my mom was a Russian actress and we sort of defected here.

Regis: Was it movies or was she on stage?

Milla: Both. But she played Betrice in What You Do About Nothing which was a movie. A really amazing, beautiful Russian film.

Kathy Lee: And is she involved in your career now?

Milla: Not so much. I mean she’s just a really great inspiration to me and a really close friend, but--

Regis: Well I bet she loves what you’re doing.

Milla: --but, yeah. Definitely. But it’s kind of hard to have your mom there all the time with you. She gets crazy and she’s crazy about me so she just goes berserk.

Kathy Lee: She’s a picker?

Milla: Oh yeah. She’ll be watching this tonight. I hope everything’s O.K. (laughs, adjusts her blouse) Tonight, (corrects herself) this morning.

Regis: But now you’re into music huh?

Milla : Yeah.

Kathy Lee: Which you have been for a while.

Milla: Yeah. I’ve been working on music, you know, for as long as I can remember but I have a band now. We’re called Plastic Has Memory. (waves to the camera) Hi guys.

Regis: Plastic Has Memory.

Milla: Yeah. And we have a show on the 18th.

Regis: Where?

Milla: At Mercury Lounge, so we could--

Regis: In New York or L.A. or--

Milla: New York.

Regis: New York, yeah.

(audience cheers and claps)

Kathy Lee: And she appears to be very unusual.

Milla: No I was gonna play, I was gonna play today but then they got really complicated. They wanted me to rehearse and dah dah dah duh duh so we decided not to.

Regis: Do you play an instrument?

Milla: Ah ha. I play guitar.

Regis: Oh you play guitar.

Milla: Yeah, yeah.

Kathy Lee: And how would you describe it, is it like alternative music. Is it...?

Milla: Mmmmm...definitely alternative. It can be a bit unpleasant (laughing) sometimes honestly. But no. It’s really cool. It's very strange, very atmospheric, lots of guitars. My guitar player Solin is really incredible. I have this great drummer named Jordan and this great amazing bass player and my piano player Chris so, you know, we’ve got just some really talented guys.

Regis: Well Mick Jagger came by and caught one of your performances.

Milla: (points at Regis) You read that? Isn’t that amazing? People...

Regis: Very impressed.

Kathy Lee: Did that affect your performance, knowing Mick’s out there?

Milla: Well, I didn’t know until after the show.

Kathy Lee: Oh that’s good.

Milla: And I was--well, my keyboard player was, "You were like a publicist and a fan all at the same time!", ‘cause MTV was there and I was like, "OH MY GOD! IT’S MICK JAGGER! Are you getting that??"

(they all laugh)

Milla: It’s unbelievably like, two sides of my head. That’s the Russian side of me coming out.

Kathy Lee: Now is that because he’s a friend or because he’d heard about your music?

Milla: Well, you know, he’s a friend... (smiles) No. I’m kidding. (Milla laughs, audience laughs) He’s not a friend. God. No he is a friend though, but--

Kathy Lee: (hands Milla tissue and smiles at audience) The fall of Mick and she’s breaking up.

Milla: --but not really. He’s an acquaintance.

Regis: And what did he say after? Did you...? You met with him after the performance. And did he say he liked what he heard?

Milla: He was really...yeah...he was really into it. He invited us to come out with him afterwards. We didn’t actually go but, but...

Kathy Lee: You turned The Mick down.

Milla: Noooooooooo. It was just, things got complicated. We had to get our equipment. I was loading equipment and stuff so...

Kathy Lee: (looks at audience) The big movie star loading her equipment.

Regis: Yeah.

Kathy Lee: I think that’s great.

(whole audience starts clapping)

Regis: (addressing audience) And when we get back we’ll talk about one of her movies, Joan of Arc, in just a moment.

(brief clip from Joan of Arc)

Kathy Lee: That’s just fabulous.

Regis: Milla Jovovich.

Milla: That’s so cool. You guys show different clips.

Regis: Playing Joan of Arc, yeah.

Milla: .’cause I’ve been doing, you know, (casually refers to studio screen) I’ve been seeing just the same one so it’s nice to show people something else.

Regis: Ah ha, it’s called The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc and incidentally you’re on the cover of Elle magazine (holds magazine) right here.

Milla: I know. I haven’t even seen that one yet.

(audience clapping, cheering)

Regis: Yeah have you seen this yet?

(audience clapping, cheering)

Milla: (leaning over to view cover)

Regis: Are you still modeling?

Milla Yeah, definitely. I’m a spokesperson for L’Oreal.

Regis: Wow.

Milla: Yeah..

Regis: So you’ve got everything going; music, acting, modeling.

Milla: Well it’s really great because L’Oreal really gives me the opportunity to just do that and so I don’t need to do other modeling jobs and...

Kathy Lee: Just for the money you mean.

Milla: Well, yeah. It pays me really well so I get that financial stability out of the way and then I have time to really...

Regis: Mmm humm. To do what you want to do.

Kathy Lee: To do what you...

Milla: ...to concentrate on things, not for the sake of money. Like I don’t make that many movies a year. I’ll be lucky if I make one. And so for me it’s just really important to be able to, at least now, do the things that I really have a lot of heart for. Like Leia Thompson was saying earlier, you know, it’s really important to...

Kathy Lee: Feed your creative soul.

Milla: Yeah. And, and just be honest about something that’s gonna be out there with you expressing yourself on. I mean, I don’t care about my face it’s just as long as I’m putting a lot of work, like..uh, The Messenger took nine months to film so...

Regis: Nine months.

Kathy Lee: And all over the world too, I mean, where were you?

Milla: In the Czech Republic, in France, all over France. Then with music...I don’t make that many movies and that gives me a lot of time to work on my music and work with my band..

Kathy Lee: That’s terrific.

Regis: (looks at audience) Milla’s happy!

Milla: Yeah

Regis: Milla's a happy duck. The costars in this--

Milla: A duck?

Regis: (pats Milla on hand) No I’m just kidding Milla. Uhhh, John Malkovich, uhh, Faye Dunaway, Dustin Hoffman.

Kathy Lee: Dustin Hoffman.

Regis: This is pretty good company.

Kathy Lee: Heavy-duty cast.

Milla: It was amazing. My god...I look at that movie and I see my double with Dustin; me and Dustin are on the same screen together at one point and just get so...excited! I just can’t even believe it, and he gave me a really amazing acting coach to the name of a good woman, so it’s great. I’ve been keeping up my training with somebody Dustin Hoffman recommended to me, so I’m really happy.

Regis: Yes. That’s good. Well let’s take a look at a clip now. Here’s Joan of Arc encouraging the troops to fight.

(brief clip from The Messenger)

Milla: (laughing)

Regis: Wow. Was she 15 years old?

Milla: When she first went to war she was 18. She was 18 when she got captured and by the time she died she was 19, or thereabouts.

Regis: What a what a life she had. Anyway the movie opens tomorrow. Milla Jovovich, Dustin, John and Faye. Thanks very much Milla.

Milla: Thank you guys.

Regis: Good to have you here.