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motherhood
July 19, 2016

Mila Kunis Says There’s No Such Thing As Having It All

By Katie Van Syckle

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Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

The new comedy Bad Moms, out July 29, stars Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn as three mothers who have had enough.

Kunis plays Amy, a perpetually frazzled working mother of two who’s married to a bozo. After an emergency PTA meeting called by mean-girl mom Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) to discuss impossible bake-sale requirements — no sugar, butter, salt, eggs, or wheat — Amy loses it. She publicly declares she will no longer try to be perfect.

Instead, she’ll be a — wait for it — bad mom. She’ll give the kids Arby’s sometimes, make her children do their own homework, and drive a fun car. Although the film is written and directed by the male team behind The Hangover, it plays like part buddy-comedy, part Anne-Marie Slaughter essay, arguing that women can’t have it all.

So when the Cut ran into Kunis last night, at a special New York City screening of the new film from STX Entertainment at the Metrograph, we had to ask her: How can women have it all?

“There is no such thing,” Kunis said. She has one daughter, 21-month-old Wyatt, with husband Ashton Kutcher, and is expecting a second. “Simply put, the idea of balance doesn’t exist. You have to be okay with one thing not getting the attention it needs at any particular time. It is your work or your kid, but you can’t balance it. There is really, in my opinion, no such thing. One will take a weight.”

The only solution, she says, is to ask for help — which as a celebrity, Kunis can afford — and not lose your sense of self (a point the movie makes with a PTA meeting that turns into a wine-fueled rager).

“I have an amazing support system in my life,” Kunis said. “A happy woman, a fulfilled woman, will only make a better mother. And at the end of the day, I have to be happy with who I am and what I do. That is the only way I’ll be able to be a good mom for my daughter.”

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1 / 76 Photos
July 26, 2016 Where: At the premiere of Bad Moms in Westwood. What: Dress and shoes by Atelier Versace Photo: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
July 18, 2016 Where: At the private screening of STX Entertainment's 'Bad Moms' in New York City. Photo: Jimi Celeste/Patrick McMullan via Getty... July 18, 2016 Where: At the private screening of STX Entertainment's 'Bad Moms' in New York City. Photo: Jimi Celeste/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
April 14, 2016 Where: At the CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards in Las Vegas. What: Dress by Louis Vuitton. Photo: Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage
June 23, 2015 Where: At the launch of Gemfields Mozambican Rubies in London. Photo: David M. Benett/Getty Images
April 13, 2014 Where:  At the MTV Movie Awards. Photo: 2014 Jason LaVeris
January 14, 2014 Where: At the Golden Globe Awards. Photo: 2014 Steve Granitz
September 9, 2013 Where: At Variety Studio in Toronto, Canada. Photo: 2013 Getty Images
September 9, 2013 Where: At the Third Person premiere in Toronto, Canada. Photo: 2013 Getty Images
February 28, 2013 Where: At the Oz: The Great and Powerful premiere in London, England. Photo: 2013 Samir Hussein
February 27, 2013 Where: At the Oz: The Great and Powerful premiere in Moscow, Russia. Photo: 2013 Epsilon
February 19, 2013 Where: At the launch celebration of Gemfields' new brand ambassador, Mila Kunis. Photo: 2013 Stefanie Keenan
February 13, 2013 Where: At the Oz: The Great and Powerful premiere in Hollywood, California. Photo: 2013 Getty Images
July 13, 2012 Where: At Frankenweenie, Wreck-It Ralph, and Oz during Comic-Con in San Diego, California. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
June 21, 2012 Where: At the Ted premiere in Los Angeles. Photo: 2012 Jon Kopaloff
June 3, 2012 Where: At the MTV Movie Awards. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
June 2, 2012 Where: At Spike TV's Guys Choice Awards. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
April 24, 2012 Where: At a Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures presentation in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
March 2, 2012 Where: At the Christian Dior Fall/Winter 2012 show in Paris, France. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
January 15, 2012 Where: At the Golden Globe Awards. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
January 7, 2012 Where: At the 50th anniversary celebration for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
November 15, 2011 Where: At the Jaguar — Land Rover preview reception for the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. Photo: 2011 Michael Tran
July 29, 2011 Where: At the Friends With Benefits photo-call in Berlin, Germany. Photo: Andreas Rentz/2011 Getty Images
July 18, 2011 Where: At the Friends with Benefits premiere in New York City. Photo: 2011 Getty Images
June 4, 2011 Where: At Spike TV's Guys Choice Awards. Photo: Frazer Harrison/2011 Getty Images
Aprill 30, 2011 Where: At the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Photo: 2011 Bloomberg
March 9, 2011 Where: At the Miu Miu Fall/Winter 2011/2012 show in Paris, France. Photo: 2011 Julien Hekimian
March 7, 2011 Where: At Cosmopolitan's Fun Fearless Males of 2011 celebration. Photo: 2011 Getty Images
February 27, 2011 Where: At the Academy Awards. Photo: 2011 Getty Images
February 24, 2011 Where: At The Hollywood Reporter Big 10 party. Photo: 2011 Jason LaVeris
January 30, 2011 Where: At the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Photo: 2011 WireImage
January 16, 2011 Where: At the Golden Globe Awards. Photo: 2011 WireImage
January 14, 2011 Where: At the Critics' Choice Movie Awards. Photo: 2011 Gregg DeGuire
January 14, 2011 Where: Arriving at at W Magazine's Celebration of the Best Performances Issue and the Golden Globes. Photo: 2011 Getty Images
January 14, 2011 Where: At the AFI Awards in Los Angeles, California. Photo: 2011 Getty Images
November 30, 2010 Where: At the Black Swan premiere in New York City.
November 29, 2010 Where: At IFP's Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York City. Photo: 2010 Getty Images
November 13, 2010 Where: At MOCA Presents: Envisioned by Artist Doug Aitken in Los Angeles, California. Photo: 2010 Jeffrey Mayer
November 11, 2010 Where: At the AFI Fest Closing Night Gala premiere of Black Swan. Photo: 2010 Gregg DeGuire
October 25, 2010 Where: At the Hollywood Awards Gala. Photo: 2010 Getty Images
October 22, 2010 Where: At the premiere of Black Swan during the BFI London Film Festival. Photo: 2010 Getty Images
October 22, 2010 Where: At the Black Swan photo-call in London, England. Photo: 2010 Getty Images
June 5, 2010 Where: At the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball. Photo: 2010 Jon Kopaloff
March 2, 2010 Where: At the Vogue dinner honoring Vera Wang. Photo: 2010 Gregg DeGuire
January 11, 2010 Where: At The Book of Eli premiere in Los Angeles, California. Photo: 2010 Gregg DeGuire
November 24, 2009 Where: At the New York City Ballet 2009–10 season opening night celebration. Photo: 2009 Getty Images
September 20, 2009 Where: At the Primetime Emmy Awards. Photo: 2009 Jeff Vespa
August 24, 2009 Where: At the Extract premiere in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Frazer Harrison/2009 Getty Images
October 13, 2008 Where: At the Max Payne premiere in Hollywood, California. Photo: 2008 Jon Kopaloff
July 12, 2008 Where: At the VH1 Rock Honors in Los Angeles, California. Photo: 2008 Jon Kopaloff
May 31, 2008 Where: Arriving at the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball in Los Angeles, California. Photo: 2008 Steve Granitz
May 19, 2008 Where: At the New York Moves Art and Design Issue launch party. Photo: 2008 Getty Images
April 10, 2008 Where: Arriving at the Forgetting Sarah Marshall world premire in Hollywood, California. Photo: 2008 Gregg DeGuire
February 22, 2008 Where: At WonderCon in San Francisco, California. Photo: Albert L. Ortega/2008 Albert L. Ortega
October 29,2007 Where: At Family Guy's 100th Episode party in Los Angeles, California. Photo: 2007 Getty Images
May 6, 2006 Where: At the That '70s Show series wrap party.
March 6, 2006 Where: At the William S. Paley Television Festival. Photo: Mark Sullivan
October 24, 2005 Where: At the FOX Fall Casino party. Photo: 2005 Getty Images
April 25, 2005 Where: Visiting MTV's TRL in New York City. Photo: Michael Loccisano
March 5, 2005 Where: At the Cyril Helnwein Art Show. Photo: John Sciulli
May 20, 2004 Where: At the the after party for the Fox primetime program announcements. Photo: Peter Kramer/2004 Getty Images
May 6, 2004 Where: Backstage at MTV's TRL in New York City. Photo: Scott Gries/2004 Getty Images
May 5, 2002 Where: Arriving at the Young Hollywood Awards.
April 20, 2002 Where: At the Kids Choice Awards. Photo: Ron Galella/2002 Galella LTD
April 14, 2002 Where: At the MTV Icon Honors Aerosmith celebration. Photo: SGranitz
November 11, 2001 Where: At Bogart Backstage On Tour for a Cure Photo: Justin Kahn/©2001 All Rights Reserved
Apil 21, 2001 Where: At the Kids Choice Awards. Photo: SGranitz/2001 All Rights Reserved
March 8, 2001 Where: At the Get Over It premiere. Photo: SGranitz
January 18, 2001 Where: At the Snatch premiere in Los Angeles, California. Photo: SGranitz
December 10, 2000 Where: At the Dude, Where's My Car premiere. Photo: Ron Galella
December 5, 2000 Where: At the Billboard Music Awards. Photo: SGranitz
August 6, 2000 Where: At the Teen Choice Awards. Photo: SGranitz
December 8, 1999 Where: At the Billboard Music Awards Photo: Ron Galella
August 1, 1999 Where: At the Teen Choice Awards. Photo: Ron Galella
May 20, 1999 Where: At the FOX TV Up Front celebration. Photo: Ron Galella
February 1, 1999 Where: At the TV Guide Awards. Photo: Ron Galella
September 10, 1998 Where: At Fox Televison TCA event. Photo: Jeff Kravitz
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