Why Michelle From Dazed And Confused Looks So Familiar
The 1993 ensemble comedy "Dazed and Confused" is, in its own way, the 1990s' answer to flicks like "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Following a group of Texas teens through the final day of school in the early summer of 1976, the stoner comedy portrays its pot-smoking characters as the ultimate rebels, standing up against adult authority to claim a wild and freewheeling day and night for their very own.
One member of this ensemble makes a memorable impression — Michelle, who's never seen without her acoustic guitar. With her hippie outfits and her penchant for stoner tunes, she's a fun addition to every scene she appears in. Michelle doesn't have a lot to say, but her style is cool and immortal. The actress who played her started out with a career in modeling, but soon landed several high-profile parts that made her a star.
Why does she look so familiar? Keep reading to find out.
Milla went from the Blue Lagoon to Married.. in a minute
After building up household recognition as a child model, Milla Jovovich got her acting start in the Zalman King erotic drama "Two Moon Junction," where she played Sherilyn Fenn's younger sister, according to IMDb. Her first starring role was in the "Wonderful World of Disney"-produced ABC TV movie "The Night Train to Kathmandu" in 1988. She landed her first big-screen role via the "The Blue Lagoon" franchise in the somewhat less financially successful "Return to the Blue Lagoon," where she portrayed Lilli Hargrave. She appeared as Mildred Harris in "Chaplin" with Robert Downey Jr. and "Kuffs" with Christian Slater before popping up in "Dazed" as Michelle. She also had a single-episode stint on Fox's legendary sitcom "Married...with Children."
In the four years in between "Dazed and Confused" and her next film role, she also tried her hand in another form of entertainment, releasing the baroque pop album "The Divine Comedy" in 1994. After the album's release, Milla went on the road (via her website), touring with and opening for Toad the Wet Sprocket and Crash Test Dummies and appearing in small acoustic gigs in intimate venues, singing and playing her guitar. She launched two music videos for the lead single, "Gentleman Who Fell," which peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart.
Leeloo made Milla Jovovich a legend
Many sci-fi fans likely remember Jovovich as the highly-skilled but innocent "supreme being" Leeloo in 1997's "The Fifth Element," which also starred Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman. The film launched her star as a major actress and is still fondly remembered by viewers to this day. For fans of the character, a full dictionary of the dialect the character uses in the movie has been made available on Jovovich's official website.
Milla has voiced Leeloo in ancillary properties such as a 1998 video game adaption of the film, but when asked about the possibility of an upcoming sequel, Jovovich told Maxim Magazine in 2009 that she doesn't think it will ever happen. "No, I don't think so. And if there were one, there'd have to be another incarnation of my character. Leeloo has to stay forever the way she was. She's very special," the actress said.
Jovovich later starred in Luc Besson's biopic about Joan of Arc, "The Messenger," in 1999, and in both of the "Zoolander" films as Katinka. She also appeared in 2000's "The Claim," which is an adaption of Thomas Hardy's "The Mayor of Casterbridge." The next major movie on her resume would launch her career as a genre star.
Want to know the name of Jovovich's other famous sci-fi role? Ask Alice
In 2002, Jovovich stepped into the shoes of Alice for the "Resident Evil" series of horror-action/adventure films. The movies — adaptions of the well-known video game franchise — feature Alice going through great tumult as she tries to lead a band of survivors to safety from the extremely nasty and ever-evolving T-Virus. The actress was featured in all six of the series' films — "Resident Evil," "Resident Evil: Apocalypse," "Resident Evil: Extinction," "Resident Evil: Afterlife," "Resident Evil: Retribution" and "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter." Her role as Alice has cemented her place in the hearts of action fans, and she recently starred in another video game adaptation, 2020's "Monster Hunter."
"I try to find my place in this movie. What you see in the film is very intense, but as soon as somebody says 'CUT!,' I can laugh and tell a joke without problems. Right before recording I run around the set, warm up my voice and perform a few breathing exercises to put myself in the right mood," the actress explained on her official website about what it's like to play Alice.
In between repeated reprisals of her part, Jovovich continued to take on action roles, portraying Violet Song Jat Shariff in "Ultraviolet," but occasionally shifted gears to take on comedic and dramatic roles.
Jovovich played Nimue in 2019's Hellboy
More recently, Jovovich appeared as Nimue the Blood Queen in the 2019 adaption of "Hellboy." Jovovich herself stood up for the comic book adaptation when it was met with critical dismissal and box office failure — and her Instagram post about the film defended her filmography against her many detractors.
"It's always stressful on opening weekend and @hellboymovie is no different," she wrote. "You work super hard to make something fun and entertaining and have to absorb the negative reviews by movie critics, but hey! THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY. All I'm gonna say before going to bed is this: All my raddest films have been slammed by critics. It's f***ing hilarious. Dazed and Confused? Seriously? Classic movie. The Fifth Element! You would have thought that was the worst movie ever made if you read the reviews in like '98."
Off-screen, the actress has been married to director Paul W.S. Anderson since 2009 (via People), and they frequently collaborate on film projects together. She was recently confirmed to be co-starring with Dave Bautista in Anderson's adaption of George R.R. Martin's "In the Lost Lands," via Variety. Jovovich and Anderson have three daughters together — Ever, who had recently begun an acting career and will appear in Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation of "Peter Pan", Dashiel, and Osian, who was born in 2020. Talk about having a full and busy life.