Why Mila Kunis used to tell people she was Russian

Mila Kunis is opening up about the emotional toll recent events in Ukraine have taken on her.
In a candid interview with Maria Shriver, the actress and activist spoke at length about the newfound pride she’s gained as a Ukrainian immigrant herself, why she’s making it a point to tell her kids they’re “half Ukrainian and half American” and why it’s important for Americans to separate the Russian people from those in power.
“I was born in Ukraine. I came to the States in 1991 and we were the last of my family to migrate,” Kunis explains, adding that she was about 8 years old at the time.
“I very much have always felt like an American,” she continued, saying that growing up, “People were like, ‘Oh, you’re so Eastern European.’ I was like, ‘I’m so LA!’ What do you mean? Like, my whole life I was like ‘I am LA through and through.’”
That all changed when Russia invaded Ukraine last month — an event Kunis says has changed how she embraces her Ukrainian identity.
“[Russia’s invasion] happens and I can’t express or explain what came over me, but all of a sudden I was like, ‘Oh my God, I feel like a part of my heart just got ripped out,’” she explained. “It was the weirdest feeling.”
That mindset extended to how she’s explaining the situation with her children, daughter Wyatt, 7, and son Dimitri, 5, both of whom she shares with Ashton Kutcher.