Extra Credit 2

15 Questions With Christina Milian
By Miranda Lightstone

Why is she famous?

Christina Milian burst onto the music scene in her first professional music appearance on Ja Rule's second studio album, Rule 3:36. From there, Christina's love of singing and her apparent talent landed her a record deal with Def Jam, which led to the release of her first self-titled solo album.

Christina Milian is more than just a pretty face and a fabulous voice; she also has a flair for the big screen and has done her fair share of movie and televsion appearances in productions such as American Pie, Love Don't Cost a Thing, Smallville, and the upcoming Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, costarring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner.

Not one to leave any stone unturned, Christina Milian has even ventured into the gaming world. As the leading female role in EA's latest Need for Speed installment, Christina stars in what could be one of the season's hottest gaming releases.

Quick Bio

Christina Milian grew up knowing she wanted to be in the limelight. From a very early age she enjoyed being on stage and performing for others. Denying an invitation to join the ever-popular Mickey Mouse Club crew, Christina Milian instead opted to star in Disney's Movie Surfers instead, and it only went up from there.

However, her big break came when Ja Rule recorded the single "Between You and Me" alongside Christina Milian. A relatively unknown talent at the time, the exposure this single gave Christina was enough to push her into super stardom almost immediately. Shortly after, Christina Milian released Christina Milian and began touring with *N Sync. Since then she's released two more albums, and a highly anticipated fourth album is on the way, to be released in the spring of '09.

Music career aside, Christina Milian is all about keeping busy, and she recently wrapped up a gig with Electronic Arts as their leading lady in the video game Need for Speed: Undercover. We got the chance to sit down with the starlet and ask her a few questions about starring in a gamer movie, cars, first dates, and manly men.

The Interview

Q1:Have you ever played Need for Speed before?
I played it mostly arcade-style -- at least, the way I know it is from playing it at the arcade. I mean, I’m sure I’ve played it before on a regular console, but I was definitely aware of the franchise.

Q2:Is this something you’ve done before -- starring in video games, etc.?
I have once before: I did Def Jam Vendetta, which is also another EA game, and it was a fighting game. At the time I was on Def Jam so it was pretty cool. I got to play a character, not myself, but I got to play Angel or something like that in the game. And part of the game was like, you know, when you got through a certain round, you got more players but you also got more pictures of my character -- it was really cute -- and you met my character throughout the storyline.

Q3:So, what’s it like working on a video game? How different is it from music videos and movies?
This one’s different because, in this case, it’s a movie within a video game. So, it’s a new concept -- it’s not the same old-fashioned (well, not necessarily old-fashioned because nothing about the video game industry is old-fashioned) [game], but in this case, we actually shot it like a film. The whole storyline is built within the video game. As you play, you end up in these different scenes where the actors are actually communicating with each other, but they’re also talking to you as if you were a character in the video game.

Q4:Your character is Carmen Mendez; is this character a play on you and your personality?
I think the character, she stands on her own. She’s more of a tomboy -- she’s really into cars, she’s a mechanic, but she also hangs with the boys, so that’s not too far from me. I’m used to being around guys and knowing what guys are into. And if I don’t know, then they’re talking to me about what they’re into. Her character is very much into cars -- that’s her life and these guys kind of take her under their wing and take care of her. But she also looks out for them and they’re like a race crew. They’re just into speed and cars. She’s different from me in that case, and she’s just a little bit more tomboyish and a brute, but she’s also very flirtatious and confident. So, that’s what I like about her.

And with me, you know, I know my little bits about cars and stuff. In this movie it was fun because I didn’t have to be so comedic; this time it was a little bit more of a dramatic role.

Quick Fact
Christina Milian's debut album, Christina Milian, wasn't released in the U.S. until three years after it was first released in Europe.

Q5:So, you’re in a car game, but do you like to drive?
Oh, I love to drive. I was a daddy’s girl and my father didn’t have any sons, so me and my two sisters, we were boyish. So, our whole thing was cars. I was into the Giants, I knew I wanted a Corvette, a Lamborghini and a Ferrari. Those were three things that I knew about. So, those were a big deal to me, and anything that was fast that girls weren’t into was what I was into. So if girls are like, I like pink; oh, I don’t like pink. [Laughs.]

Now, I’ve evolved and grown up a bit, [and] I’ve turned a little bit more feminine and taken a liking to certain things, but I’m glad I had that side of me as well. Like, I can hang out with the guys and I don’t get so caught up in overly girlie things. [Laughs.]

Did you fulfill your dream of getting a Corvette, Lambo or Ferrari?

Not yet! Not yet! I’m not sure if I want those now. I mean, times have changed so much -- next up I want a GT coupe, I want an Aston Martin… You know, there’s an Audi R8 in the video game that I got to see that was on the set, and it was really awesome -- I’d never heard of it before. And then when I saw it, it’s just beautiful and it definitely [caught] my attention -- like it would be something hot that nobody else would be driving, at least nobody else I know!

Was that your favorite car from the game?

Yeah, in the game, yeah it is.

Q6:In real life, if you could own one car, what would it be?
One? Ooh, God, I’m normally an SUV girl, but if I could own one car… I would choose… You put me to the test, man! I mean, everyone always talks about Bugattis [so] I wouldn’t mind one of those.

Q7:Are you excited for the November 18th release of the Need for Speed game?
I’m glad it’s going to be out finally because it’ll be out there in the world finally for everybody to play, and I’m excited that all the work that I’ve been doing for some period of time is finally coming out so people will know I’m not just in the club gettin’ my party on [laughs] or that I’m not just sitting around doing nothing trying to be cute -- like I actually work my booty off.

Q8:It really looks like a movie -- was it filmed like a movie?
They put a filter on it after the fact but it was filmed like a real movie. And even when they were shooting it, the whole thing was like a music video. So afterward they take it and they process it, so you still feel like you’re part of the video game.

It's time to talk boys and future ventures with Christina Milian...

Q9:What’s the one quality you look for in a man?
Um, confidence is key, because without him being confident there’s jealousy. I look for an amazing personality and charm… and spontaneity! You know, if a guy can’t be spontaneous, we get bored -- at least I do. [Laughs.] I’m a Libra, so I don’t like to make that many choices. I mean, I’ll make choices, but I like when a guy takes control, something I’m not used to. It just makes me excited.

Q10:Where do you think a man should take a woman on a first date? Where would you want to go?
A first date? You know, I’d like to keep it simple. I wouldn’t see a movie because in the movies you don’t get to talk. I’d say go to a lounge, have a drink -- a glass of wine, and eat some little tapas -- some little appetizers. Keep it simple, so if it’s not working out you don’t have to be stuck there for too long! [Laughs.]

Q11:Who do you think is the ultimate man’s man?
As a role model? Who can I say that won’t make my boyfriend jealous? [Laughs.] I’ll say Brad Pitt because no guy can compete with Brad Pitt. My boyfriend can’t even… well I mean, he can, but I’m just saying that Brad Pitt’s my man. [Laughs.] And he’s a great father, great husband and great overall man. And he’s so attractive on top of that.

Q12:You make a living based on your image, are you afraid of losing that image?
No, you know image is not everything to me. I know it’s part of the job and I don’t get caught up in it. I think it’s more about personality. Even my image, I don’t think I have the typical image… I think people are more drawn to me for my personality and being more cute rather than being… I don’t know, I just like to keep it simple and have fun and giggle and laugh and stay positive. People I don’t think take things too seriously. So, the image part, I don’t think that lasts forever. So, as long as I love myself and just enjoy life and stay positive, then I’m all good with that.

Quick Fact
Christina Milian used to make porcelain dolls as a hobby.

Q13:So, you have a new album coming up soon, but what else is in the near future for you?
Well, the single’s out right now, we had over eight million streams in the first 2½ weeks on my MySpace page alone. It’s actually available for purchase now. And I’m going to be [putting] out my second single for this year, and the album will be out in spring of 2009.

I did a movie with Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner called Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, that’ll be out in February.

What was it like working with McConaughey?

Oh, it was cool. He’s so hot -- he’s a hottie. He’s very charming and he’s a sweetheart. I mean I guess it’s the same as charm, but he was really nice and he’s got a great body. [Laughs.] Did I say that? Yeah, I did!

Oh yeah, and then I have a movie called Bring it On coming out next August. It’s part of the Bring it On franchise and I’m the lead of that movie.

Q14:Do you think you’ll kind of sway toward movies more now or do you really want to keep your music going?
I really want to continually do both. I find that I’m finally hitting a balance, and with the record label I’m with now they finally understand [that]. My film career is just as important to me as my music career. [With] planning out a schedule and [focusing] on a job, I find I’m able to focus more often now on both careers than I have in the past.

Q15:Would you do another video game?
Totally. Except next time maybe I want it to be about me. [Laughs.] It’s a little vain, but hey, there’s nothing wrong with that! It could be fun.