Interview from Never Undressed

Supermodel, actress, musician, mother, wife. We talk to the absurdly beautiful L’Oreal Paris spokesmodel, Milla Jovovich about Elizabethan London, archaeology and the truth about red carpets

Does the modelling industry have a ceiling age?

‘No, not at all. Well, yeah to some degree but I feel there is no ceiling if you are an intelligent person because you’re always going to be interesting to people, you know what I mean? Look at L’Oreal, they work with Andie McDowell. There is no ceiling when you have talent, intelligence, you’re passionate, you’re still going to get a beauty contract, it doesn’t matter how old you are.’

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given by another model?

Y’ou know, I started so young – at 11. What kind of model could give me advice at that point? I mean, I had been working longer than mostly everybody so it was my Mom. I wasn’t hanging out with models. But my Mom said, ‘if you don’t educate yourself, you’re going to go nowhere. Your pretty face can get you to the door but what is going to keep you in the room?’ I’ve been sitting in the room for 20 plus years, so I think I definitely took that advice to heart.’

What has been the most pivotal work of your modelling career?

‘I would say, definitely Peter Lindbergh. All the work we’ve done together since I was like, 13 years old, has just been the high points of my modelling career. All the books he’s put me on the cover of – that’s so special and definitely another person was my ex-boyfriend [photographer, Mario Sorrenti]. We did some beautiful classic pictures together.’

You always seem to look so confident and relaxed on the red carpet. Do you enjoy that moment?

‘No, it’s not one of my favourite things, I mean, I enjoy performing you know, even on my Facebook page I’m in front of a camera. I love to be on stage, I love to act, I love to be creative but you know, the red carpet gives me the willies. I know that, you know, they love me and everybody is super sweet but at the same time, I know that they would totally love it if I fell on my butt. So when you know if something bad happens, they’ll be even happier it definitely puts you off. It’s kind of the only time that I get kind of nervous.’

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