Who is Olivia Munn?
Actress Olivia Munn, born in Oklahoma, spent most of her formative years in Tokyo, Japan. Her move to American television gained momentum with co-host roles on Attack of the Show before finding wider audiences on The Daily Show and The Newsroom. Mann has also enjoyed increasingly prominent roles on the big screen, from her memorable contribution in Magic Mike to her turn as a telekinetic mutant in X-Men: Apocalypse. She also wrote a memoir that addressed themes of harassment that later fueled her outspokenness during the start of the #MeToo movement.
Olivia Munn now
2018 was marked by the release of three films starring Olivia Munn. The woman got one of the main roles in the action film with fantasy elements “Predator”. The film was a continuation of films of the same name, created in different years by John McTiernan, Stephen Hopkins and Nimrod Antal. This time the set brought together actors Boyd Holbrook, Thomas Jane, and Jake Busey. Olivia played a female scientist.
Olivia Munn in the movie "Predator"
The supporting role was given to the actress by the authors of the crime film “Ocean’s 8,” which is a spin-off of “Ocean’s Eleven.” And finally, Olivia again played the villain Psylocke in Simon Kinberg's X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
Olivia Munn on the set of Ocean's 8
Olivia also did not abandon her modeling and journalistic careers. Photos of the beauty are happily published by Men's Health, Men's Edge, Playboy, in the latter she was even awarded the title of girl of the month. Mann occasionally appears on television, appears in videos of famous musicians, and writes articles for magazines.
At the beginning of 2021, rumors began to spread that Olivia was dating Guardian of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt. The man broke up in the summer of 2017 after a 10-year relationship with actress Anna Faris.
Olivia Munn in 2018
Naturally, it was not possible to find out about the celebrity romance; Olivia remained silent. The paparazzi helped - photographers caught the movie stars having dinner in a restaurant. For this gossip, Mann had to make excuses to Chris’s ex-lover on Instagram. The woman addressed Anna a message:
“I would never respond to tabloid rumors, but since we know each other, I want to contact you personally and tell you that Chris and I are not having an affair, all the rumors are lies. I’m sure you know this, maybe you don’t care, but I just want to tell you personally that it’s not true.”
Early life
Lisa Olivia Munn was born on July 3, 1980, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to an American father and a Chinese mother raised in Vietnam. When she was two years old, her mother, Kim, remarried to a US Air Force officer, who eventually moved the family to Tokyo, Japan. These formative years were not easy for Mann, who had a bad relationship with her stepfather and felt out of place in her new surroundings. But she found solace in watching videos of popular American shows and films and enjoyed some success in the Tokyo modeling industry with her exotic looks.
Returning to Oklahoma at age 16, Mann again felt out of place at her high school before becoming close with the video game nuts and tech geeks who would make up her future attack on The Show's audience. She attended the University of Oklahoma, where she majored in journalism and taught Japanese and drama. Her plans to pursue an acting career after college were rebuffed by her mother, and Mann ended up spending a year at the assignment desk at KJRH-TV in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She then became a sidebar reporter for Fox Sports Net for college football and women's basketball games, but struggled to find a comfort zone in the role.
Olivia Munn: a gentle beast
Olivia Munn
09/11/2018Jane Taylor On the eve of the premiere of the new “Predator,” THR spoke with the actress about her career, childhood experiences, and also learned that for her sexuality is a good sense of humor.
Olivia Munn used to be ashamed of her Asian origin, but that is behind her: she is now considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. Having started her career as a television correspondent, she feels confident not only in the role of a sex symbol, but also in the role of a tough lady with a machine gun in her hands. A new version of the 1980s hit Predator is being released, with Olivia playing the female lead. Ahead of the premiere, THR spoke with the actress about her career, childhood experiences, and also learned that for her sexuality is a good sense of humor.
Few people know that you started your career in journalism and even graduated from university with a specialty. What did you do after receiving your diploma?
As a child, I watched more TV than movies, and I always wanted to get into that world. I remember standing in front of the mirror and imagining that I was going on air and telling people that a cat had climbed a tree, for example. After graduating from university, I worked on TV in Tulsa (the second largest city in Oklahoma, USA - THR), where I lived then, but the tasks themselves seemed wildly boring to me, and I decided to move to Los Angeles and become an actress. There was a period when I was engaged in sports journalism, but in reality I was just trying to be something that I am not.
But television still helped you make your name in Hollywood.
By and large - yes, they paid attention to me after working as a correspondent for The Daily Show (a popular satirical show - THR). Life is divided into before and after.
Olivia Munn
In that program you looked like an excellent student, and after your first film roles you were dubbed a sex symbol. How did you yourself react to this change?
Never had any problems. I have always calmly accepted any compliment regarding my appearance. But to be honest, I like it better when people appreciate my sense of humor. It seems to me that together with your loved one you need to fool around, have fun, and not take a selfie with a languid look, repeating: “Oh yes, we are so sexy!”
Your mother grew up in Vietnam and is of Chinese descent, and today you are proud of your Asian heritage. But it was not always so?
As a child, I simply hated my appearance: the shape of my eyes, freckles, hair color. I grew up in a world where the standard of beauty was a thin blonde with blue eyes and large breasts. My classmates tried like crazy to be like Pamela Anderson , and my inability to meet the standard gave me a lot of complexes. But now I have come to harmony, and I am glad that the concept of beauty is changing. An Asian, a Latina, or a red-haired, freckled girl can be sexy.
You grew up in a military family, your dad was often transferred from one place to another. Did you find it difficult to change friends and schools?
We lived in Japan and in different cities in America. The hardest thing was always being the new girl in the class. I can’t say that I grew up as an angular teenager, but it’s not easy to fit into this or that company. I wanted to be mine, but only so that no one would bother me. (Laughs.)
What kind of teenager were you?
I loved hip-hop and listened to it all the time. Hanged out with skaters, rappers and street artists. Topics of conversation ranged from art to some wacky comedy. At one time I dreamed of becoming a beatboxer (a type of percussion that involves imitating a drum machine using only your lips, tongue and voice - THR). Now I’m an adult and have become boring in choosing music - I fell in love with country music. (Laughs.)
Olivia Munn
It seems like you like to be tough and strong in movies, so you play in action. Here are roles in the X-Men franchise and your new work in Predator.
I really love this genre. Especially - performing tricks and shooting a pistol yourself. Keanu Reeves is mesmerizing in John Wick. The way he methodically takes out the bad guys looks like one graceful dance. And working on Predator gave me incredible pleasure. And it seems to me that we got a decent movie - it is completely unrelated to the original, but is in the same world with other films in the franchise. The fans will be pleased. Well, I hope. (Laughs.)
Did you get your passion for action films from your military father?
Yes sir. We only watched action movies with him. Mom often grumbled about this. But I really found this kind of movie much more interesting than fairy tales about fairies and princesses. But the funny thing is, fans of the franchise will forgive me, I only watched the original Predator film for the first time last fall. When I was invited to film the project.
Have you ever found yourself in dangerous situations that required you to be tough, like in an action movie?
One day while flying on a private jet. He was shaking and it felt like we were falling. People around began to worry, the flight attendants began to run and fuss. And I drank a glass of wine and the first thing I did was take out the battery from the phone, so that if we landed on the water, I could call and call for help. But everything worked out, thank God.
Are you always so collected in stressful situations?
No, it came to me with age. I learned to cope with anxiety, and I had a lot of it in my life. Nothing is more important than life and death, and in dangerous situations the main thing is not to panic. Probably, that incident on the plane showed that I can remain calm in extreme conditions. Although later I joked with my friends that I should have “turned on the movie star” and, with a glass of champagne in my hand, yell at the pilot. (Laughs.)
"Predator"
20th
Century Fox CIS / USA /
Director: Shane Black / Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key, Sterling K. Brown, Yvonne Strahovski / Premiere September 13
Read THR on Twitter
Themes:
- Olivia Munn
- Predator
- interview
Movies
Early roles
A Hollywood neophyte, Munn began appearing in such forgettable films as The Angry Scarecrow (2004) and The Road to Canyon Lake (2005). Big Stan (2007) provided the opportunity to work alongside legitimate industry talent, as did Big Salmon (2009) from the comedy troupe Broken Lizard. Mann followed up with supporting roles in bigger films such as 2010's Date Night and Iron Man 2 before landing a supporting role in I Don't Know How She Does It (2011), opposite Sarah Jessica Parker.
"Magic Mike", "Mission Miami"
Portraying the girlfriend of Channing Tatum's titular character in Magic Mike (2012), Mann got a chance to stand out in the film, known for being sexy and smart. That same year, she joined the Broken Lizard team for Childbearing and Freeloaders before returning to the horror genre in Deliver Us from Evil (2014) with Eric Bana.
After the underwhelming comedy Mortdecai (2015), Mann reprized detective Maya Cruz in the comedy Mission Miami, which performed strongly at the box office in early 2021.
"X-Men: Apocalypse" and "The LEGO Ninjago Movie"
Also in 2021, Mann made her debut in the superhero blockbuster X-Men: Apocalypse as Psylocke, a telekinetic mutant who teams up with Oscar Issac's civilization-destroying team. The actress trained for six to seven hours a day to prepare for her intense martial arts and sword work, leaving her in tip-top shape for her on-screen battles. After starring in the ensemble comedy Corporate New Year's Party (2016), Munn joined another franchise with her voice work for The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017). Poking fun at the supervillain archetype in the film, she played Coco, the ex-wife of evil warlord Justin Theroux and the mother of teen ninja Dave Franco.
"Ocean's Eight" and "Predator"
After kicking off the summer 2021 season with a cameo in Ocean's 8, the all-female spin-off of the hit Heist trilogy, Mann stars in Predator 4 as a scientist who teams up with the military to take down deadly intergalactic hunters. Next up for the actress was a return to the comedy Dick Move, scheduled for 2021.
The most interesting
Famous actresses who should not show their legs (02/13/2020)
TOP 9 Hollywood actresses with non-standard appearance (01/10/2018)
Even after switching to studies and graduating from university, Olivia never stopped dreaming of a career as a movie star - Olivia Munn’s personal life always remained in the background, because the girl devoted all her time to working on television and cinema.
The future actress took her first adult steps in her career in Los Angeles, getting a job as a sports match observer. However, Mann did not abandon her thoughts about cinema and in 2004 she received a small role in the thriller “The Anger of the Scarecrow.”
The next step was a role in the TV series “Beyond the Break” - in which Olivia played the role of a surfer. In 2006, the girl worked on the G4 TV channel, where she hosted her own show until 2010. At the same time, Olivia Munn did not give up her career as an actress. She regularly appears in music videos, various fashion publications, and on television.
Actress in the movie "X-Men: Apocalypse"
Ms. Mann joined the X-Men film franchise in 2021. The girl played the role of the mutant Psylocke, an initially negative character who acts on the team of the main antagonist of Apocalypse.
A British woman with Japanese roots, Olivia Munn was perfect for this role, not only thanks to her Asian roots, but also to her acting skills. The militant ninja turned out to be bright and won no less sympathy from the audience than the positive characters.
Olivia Munn in the movie "X-Men: Apocalypse"
Olivia Munn's roles
Leading roles by Olivia Munn are rare. Most often, the girl remains in supporting roles, which does not prevent her from showing her talent and beauty. Olivia Munn's roles include:
- Her first role was as an unnamed girl in the thriller “The Anger of the Scarecrow” in 2004.
- Surfer Mili Acuna in the series "Beyond the Break", from 2006 to 2007.
- Nancy in Eaten Alive, 2008.
- Lana in the series “University” (GRΣΣK) in 2009.
- Chess Roberts in Iron Man 2 in 2010.
- Betsy Braddock or the mutant Psylocke in the film "X-Men: Apocalypse" in 2021.
- Casey Brack in Predator is one of Mann's last roles to date.
Television roles
"Attack of the Show"
Mann began appearing in the drama Beyond the Break after a hiatus in 2006, but it was her start on G4's Attack of the Show that year that first earned the young actress a loyal following. Co-host of a program that unabashedly celebrated geek culture, Mann showed she could hold her own among video game enthusiasts and comic book fans, while also giving her largely teenage and young adult male audience additional fantasy fuel with her willingness to dress up as Princess Leia, Wonder Woman and other fictional sirens. During this time, she also landed a recurring role in the comedy-drama film "Greek" and appeared in other well-known programs such as "Chuck."
"News"
In a professional turnaround, Mann left behind the anchorman antics and bikini shoots for rapid-fire banter and high-brow musings on HBO's The Newsroom in 2012. As financial analyst Sloane Sabbit, she demonstrated a shaky background in economics combined with social awkwardness and a fading integrity, earning more screen time by the drama's third and final season. The role was not entirely foreign to Mann, who drew from her own early experiences in journalism to present a fully fleshed out character. “It wasn’t just about imitating Diane Sawyer and Anderson Cooper,” she said. “I knew how sausage was made, so I could bring that knowledge to the table.”
"The Daily Show", "Six"
Nearing the end of "Attack of the Show", Mann began contributing to the popular news satire The Daily Show in 2010 as its "Senior Asian Correspondent". Although the role was short-lived, it provided an opportunity to showcase his wit and charm to a wider and more influential audience.
The chance to become a sitcom star came in early 2011 with the Perfect Couples, although the show was taken off the air by the end of the season. Mann subsequently appeared in other programs in the wake of her newsroom work, including a three-episode arc as Nick's girlfriend on New Girl.
Having established her star power, Mann later appeared on reality competition shows Project Runway and America's Got Talent as a guest judge and was invited to the Critics' Choice Awards in early 2021. The following month, she joined the cast of the historical drama Six as high-ranking CIA operative Gina Cline.
Twitter and Instagram
Originally a devoted Twitter user, Mann has since taken to Instagram, posting footage of her intense training to become the X-Men's Psylocke in 2021. She also admitted that she likes to use Instagram Story to dispel rumors about her alleged romantic interest in men like Chris Pratt and Theroux. “Dear tabloids, please stop comparing me to my ex-friends,” she wrote. “No disrespect to people who date their friends' exes, it's just not my style.
In 2010, Munn debuted her first book, Suck it, Wonder Woman!: The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek. Infused with her irreverent and sometimes searing humor, the memoir recalled her experiences with culture shock in both Tokyo and Oklahoma, as well as wild tales of her rise up the Hollywood ladder. It also touched on an ugly aspect of the business that was still largely hidden at the time - her experience with an unnamed director who masturbated in front of her. In November 2021, with the issue now at the forefront of Hollywood, Mann, along with five other actresses, accused Brett Ratner of sexual assault, confirming that he was the unnamed director in her book. "I don't have to be completely broken, beaten and devalued to prove that he crossed the line," she said. Mann also wrote an essay on the topic for Entertainment Weekly, arguing that Hollywood needs to change its culture of protecting and empowering abusive men like Ratner and Harvey Weinstein. Mann became part of the Time Up initiative, a group of prominent actresses, producers and other Hollywood insiders who created a legal fund for harassment victims and sought to pressure companies and Congress to ensure equal rights in the workplace. For her efforts, she was named the inaugural recipient of the 2021 Voices for Justice Award by the University of Oklahoma Council on Women's and Gender Studies. However, Mann's dedication to such an important issue took its toll, as she later developed a rash all over her body due to stress.
Other jobs
Like other actors, Mann moved into the development side of the business, entering into a production deal with CBS TV Studios. Among her first deals was selling a series about a pioneering female sports broadcaster trying to advance her career against the backdrop of rampant sexism and stricter social conventions of the 1970s. The actress is also not afraid to use her hard-earned money to support a thriving business. She was an early investor in ride-sharing service Uber and also invested in chef-cut real beef jerky after trying it and realizing it "tasted like steak in a bag."
