Mila Kunis is opening up about how she approaches Ukrainian heritage and culture with her children.
In a new interview on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?”, Kunis, 38, who emigrated from Ukraine in 1991 at age 7, explained the important conversations happening at home with her husband, Ashton Kutcher, 44, and their two kids, Wyatt, 7, and Dimitri, 5.
“I don’t speak Ukrainian,” Kunis told CNN’s Chris Wallace. “When I was raised in Ukraine it was still under the USSR umbrella, so I spoke Russian. It is what we all spoke. So my kids understand Russian. I speak Russian with my parents. I was like, ‘It’s good to know another language.’ That’s all I kind of kept thinking, was it’s good to know another language. But I never thought culturally speaking (it) was important for them to know where they came from.”
Kunis explained that “it never crossed my mind until this happened,” referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“It seemed like overnight we both turned to our kids and were like, ‘You are half Ukrainian, half American,’” Kunis said. “It instantly became a thing, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, I get it Mom.’”
Kunis continued that it is “incredibly important to know where you came from.”
“It’s amazing to have multiple cultures. It’s a beautiful thing to have out there,” she said. “We shouldn’t all be alike. We shouldn’t all think alike. … And so, we very quickly reminded our kids that they are half Ukrainian.”
In March, Kunis revealed that it felt like part of her heart “got ripped out” after Russia invaded Ukraine. Together, Kunis and Kutcher pledged to match up to $3 million in donations to help Ukrainian refugees.
“Today I’ve never been more proud to be a Ukranian,” Kunis said in an Instagram video announcing the monetary commitment. “The events that have unfolded in Ukraine are devastating. There is no place in this world for this kind of unjust attack on humanity.”
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