Carsey-Werner DistributionFor most people, their first kiss was a slobbery, awkward affair complete with strings of saliva and clashing teeth.
Pity Mila Kunis then, whose very first smooch took place – not on the requisite park bench – but on a 1998 episode of That ’70s Show.
To make matters even more surreal, Mila’s all-important first kiss – at the age of 14 – was with her future husband Ashton Kutcher.
He was a former model five years her senior, and they had only just met. Safe to say the pressure was well and truly on the young actor.
Carsey-Werner DistributionSpeaking with People magazine back in 2001, Mila admitted to having been pretty jittery about shooting the scene, explaining:
I was like, ‘Oh, he’s so cute, it’s the Calvin Klein model!’
Then I was like, ‘I have to kiss him?’ I was so nervous and uncomfortable. I had the biggest crush on him.
Like many a girl before her, Mila masked her fears with plenty of perfume before the big moment. It remains unconfirmed whether this scent was Charlie or So…? Kiss Me.
Luckily, she had nothing to fear, with Ashton making her feel quite at ease:
Ashton was so nice, He just made jokes and gave me funny little compliments. He made me laugh.
Aww. My first kissee just muttered incomprehensibly and went the colour of beetroot. This sounds like a far more pleasant experience.
Ashton had no idea at the time this was Mila’s first kiss, telling People:
I’m the first guy she kissed? Oh my god, I had no idea!
I’m so glad I didn’t know that or it would’ve been too much pressure.
He added:
I was so nervous. She acted so cool. She seemed as if she’d done it a thousand times. I was the one with the butterflies in my stomach.
I mean, here’s this little girl and I have to kiss her. It was nerve-racking.
Mila and Ashton tied the knot back in 2015, and have two children together. However, for a long time, they were just friends with no expectations whatsoever of sharing a future.
In fact, Mila has even previously admitted to getting hacked off with Ashton in his younger years; viewing him as being far too arrogant.
The pair kept in touch for many years after That 70’s Show wrapped up, but there were apparently no romantic feelings. Ashton married Demi Moore in 2005, while Mila dated Macaulay Culkin between 2002 and 2011.
In typical movie fashion, they both became newly single at around the same time, and began to see each other in a completely new light.
Speaking with Howard Stern, Mila revealed how the first time sparks flew was at an awards show:
So I see this guy, and I see his back, and he’s really tall, and I was like who’s that tall guy?
And I’m standing there like this, literally like ‘Hmm…’ and I’m wearing this big poofy dress, and look ridiculous, and then he just turns around, and it was like literally, if we were in a movie, the music would just start playing and violins would go. I just went [gasps].
Like, I think he for the first time ever took my breath away….I was like, ‘F*ck, he’s good looking.’
Ashton invited Mila to a party where they shared another – this time private – kiss. They began to date casually, with no expectations beyond having fun.
However, much like their movie Friends With Benefits, this flirtatious fling quickly escalated into something much more serious.
But how and why does a friendship evolve into a full-blown relationship? And is this a solid or precarious basis for long-term commitment?
Relationship and marriage coach Elizabeth Hammond told UNILAD:
There is really no magical reason why this happens! Perhaps the main point would be that we all constantly change and evolve as we mature and form new connections in our brains along with a constant change in our mental and behavioural states.
Fundamentally one of the biggest single reasons people come to me with relationship issues is due to a different ‘slide-rule’ or ‘lens’.
Simply put they see the world differently to their partner because of different upbringings/religions/cultures/family backgrounds, and experiences in life in general.
Mila and Ashton have actually had very similar backgrounds and then when they evolved as adults they could take their relationship to a new level.
Compatibility is just as much an important part of a relationship as fancying the pants off one another.
Being mates first gives potential couples space for mutual respect to develop without the pressures of ‘ownership’.
Could it be the love of your life is actually the old, overlooked friend who shares your ‘lens’ like no-one else?
Here’s hoping Ashton will be spoiling Mila rotten on her 35th birthday!
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.