Mila Kunis: What Life-Changing Advice Did Robin Williams Give Her?

Mila Kunis has Robin Williams to thank in part for her amazing commercial success, and before he died, she was again reminded by her Angriest Man in Brooklyn costar of a prophetic piece of advice he shared during her run on That ’70s Show.

Esquire shared a previously unreleased excerpt of a 2013 on-set interview with Mila while she and Robin prepared for the Phil Alden Robinson-directed film. In hindsight, it was simple advice, but given her extraordinary success and grounded approach to life, she owes it all to the late comedian-actor.

The interview began with a simple question about Mila Kunis and Robin Williams’ professional relationship together. After acknowledging a previous meeting with the comedy icon years ago, she dished on the wisdom received that would shape her life years later.

“I reminded Robin of it today. I was 15, 16 maybe, and Kurtwood Smith knew him—Kurtwood Smith was on ‘That ’70s Show’ — we were shooting at CBS and Robin was shooting a show at the time that no longer’s on the air — it was some doctor show—and he played a man with elephantiasis. And Kurt said, ‘Oh, I’m gonna go say hi to Robin.’ And I was like, Oh my god, like there’s Robin Williams.”

Still young and giddy — and awestruck at the prospect of meeting the Good Morning, Vietnam funnyman — Mila asked her pal if she could accompany him, to which he agreed without reservation.

“And so many times you meet people they don’t impact you. You meet them and they’re gracious and they’re nice, and then there are sometimes when you meet somebody and they say one thing and for the rest of your life you carry that one thing and they don’t even know that they impacted your life. So here’s Robin Williams fully decked out in elephantiasis makeup, like he was the Elephant Man, and we were talking and I’m being super quiet, and he just kind of turns to me and he said, ‘What’s your name?’ And I said, I’m Mila.

“And he said, ‘Yeah? You’re on ’70s?’ And then he said, ‘Remember this moment. Remember this because things like this don’t happen very often. Remember this time.'”

Years later while the two prepared for Angriest Man, Mila reminded him of the shared wisdom from years ago. Again, as if to reinforce what would define Kunis for the rest of her life, he double-downed on his previous advice. He said:

“‘It stands true. Today, right now, at this very moment, step back and appreciate it.”

Robin Williams died suddenly on August 11 from an apparent suicide. After news spread of his death, a slew of celebrities expressed anguish, many of them admitting they were not aware of Williams’ personal struggles with depression and sobriety.

“He has been battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time,” his media representative Mara Buxbaum told CNN. ”

Since meeting Williams, Mila Kunis has taken Hollywood by storm. She’s starred in the sitcom Family Guy and a number of larger roles: Friends with Benefits, Black Swan, and Oz the Great and Powerful, to name a few.

Along the way, she’s accumulated a number of prestigious awards and gotten engaged. In fact, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are expecting their first child together soon. And at some point, they’ll both exchange vows.

Without question, the advice Robin Williams gave to her years ago has paid off in a priceless fashion.

[Image via Veooz]