TURNING in stunning performances in psychological thriller Black Swan and in the post-apocalyptic drama The Book of Eli, Mila Kunis now stars in Columbia Pictures’s light, romantic comedy Friends with Benefits.

In the film, Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Kunis) think it will be easy to add sex to their friendship, but they discover that getting physical always leads to complications.

Kunis saw her character Jamie as someone who “believes in true love and believes that Prince Charming is out there and is desperately seeking that.” Jamie doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve, though. “She’s a typical New Yorker,” laughs Kunis.  Indeed, Jamie is sharp, fast-talking, determined, and by all accounts, more of a realist than a dreamer.

Jamie is also funny and easy to be with.  So when Dylan moves to New York after she recruits him for an exciting position at GQ magazine, the two become fast friends, comrades in cynicism, ready to laugh at the world’s craziness and each other’s foibles.

With Timberlake’s Dylan working hard to establish himself at a new job in a new city and no time to pursue life’s more frivolous aspects, and Kunis’s Jamie meeting too many “nice” guys who turn out to be not-so-nice, the two come to an agreement asserting mutual benefits without the emotional complications of dating. ‘Cause after all, everyone has physical needs, they convince themselves.  What could possibly go wrong?

How did you get along with Justin Timberlake?

I had met him before, although I hardly knew him; but, as we were given the opportunity to work for three months on the script, we soon became friends and got to know each other before the shoot.

Does that help on a movie like this?

It helps to be friends, but that isn’t very common.

Have you stayed friends after the shoot?

Yes, and that also doesn’t normally happen.

How do you achieve good chemistry on-screen?

Being generous leads to good chemistry.

You helped finish the script before the shoot.

The whole script ended up being worked on for a period of two or three months prior to production. Justin, [writer-director] Will Gluck and I would get together and work on the dialogue and the characters scene by scene until we made them what we wanted them to be and have their reactions being what we saw them being.

Was that a new experience for you?

Yes, because I have never done a movie before in which I was involved in the whole process, even when I was attached early to it; but this time I was there when we rewrote everything for months and months. It was really different from what I had experienced before and really rewarding and refreshing. That’s why I said yes. And then, of course, I wanted to work with Justin....

How important was it for you to feel comfortable with Justin on set?

In a movie like this you need to feel comfortable with your partner in crime. You want to know there is a safety net underneath you in case you make a mistake—which you will—and that there is someone there to pick you up. And, in that sense, I couldn’t have felt more comfortable than with Justin because we were in the same boat together.

And you are also surrounded by a great supporting cast.

We were very lucky with all the cast.

Who is Jamie in your eyes?

My character is a twentysomething who is trying to figure out her life and who she is. Her heart has been broken multiple times, so she probably has some trust issues. I think Jamie is just figuring herself out, like most women her age today.

What is there of you in her?

There is always a pretty large chunk of me in every character that I play; which doesn’t mean that those events happen to me, but I find a way to relate to them through my own personal experiences.

The film questions if men and women can be just friends. What is your opinion?

I have many male friends that I have no desire of becoming intimate with, and I am sure they feel the same way. I strongly believe that the opposite sex can be your friend without anything happening.

Do you believe in the concept of “friends with benefits” then?

I agree with Justin when he says that it is probably a really good idea until it becomes a really bad one. And as a woman I think it could leave you in a very delicate and dangerous position.

What do you make fun of in this movie?

We tried to make fun of everything across the board.

Do you consider yourself funny?

I don’t think I’m funny. Comedy is hard....

Do you enjoy improvising on set?

I am comfortable with it. I think that, if you get the character you are playing and the motivations behind him, it’s just talking. And I love to talk! You have to pay attention to who your partner is in the scene and be present.

What can you say of Will Gluck?

Will is very passionate about everything and knows perfectly well what he wants.

Do you like romantic comedies?

I love romantic comedies!

Which is your favorite?

Pretty Woman.

You seem to be in a great moment in your career.

Yes, but I still have to fight for the movies I want to do. I decided when I was 21 that this was going to be my career and that the only way I could grow personally and professionally was to work with people better and smarter than me that I admire and respect. And I still want to learn a lot. I consider myself to be very lucky.

***Opening across the Philippines on September 28, Friends with Benefits is distributed by Columbia Pictures.