Izabella Miko – Starving In Suburbia

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I have a movie that just came out called Make Your Move. It’s a dance movie that is in 3D. It stars Derek Hough from “Dancing With the Stars” and this pop sensation named Boa. It’s a very sweet, fun dance movie that is a little bit different because there is a lot of tap dancing and drumming. It’s sort of a technique from Japan where it is dancing and drumming at the same time. I get to dance a little bit. I get to be a little bit of trapeze. I’m a trapeze artist as a hobby so I got to do a little bit of that in the film. Then, I have Starving In Suburbia and in July Step Up: All In to come out. That was a really fun role for me it’s a cross between Lady Gaga and Elizabeth Banks in Hunger Games. I’m a larger than life character with crazy costumes and wigs. That was probably the most fun role I’ve ever played. I also produced a movie coming out in September coming out called Desert Dancer starring Frieda Pinto. It’s a movie about a dancer in Iran.

Q) We’ll also be seeing you in Starving In Suburbia as you mentioned. What made you wan to be a part of the film?

A) I think the message is very, very important. We don’t really talk about eating disorders and we definitely don’t talk about them in terms of normal people. Everyone has the perception that unless the person is really, really thin and skinny they can’t have anorexia, which is absolutely not true. Bringing awareness to that issue is very important to me. I was a ballet dancer and I grew up in the world of complete perfection and starving yourself. It’s a mental illness that is not just about not eating and being skinny. It’s about control. I feel like in this world right now we have so little control. We feel out of control. If you’re a dancer, this is a world where you’re more prone to paying attention to your body and everything that is wrong with it on a daily basis. They tell you, “You have to do this,” or “You have to point your foot. You have to suck your stomach in.” So, you feel like eating is something you can control. All of a sudden, you feel a little bit more powerful and it’s a vicious cycle. When you don’t eat, a couple of days later at first you feel weak and have cravings. That goes away and you feel almost a high from it and you feel incredible control and power. It’s like an addiction. For the film, I was kind of doing a little bit of that. I went on an all green juice diet to see what it was like. It’s incredible. You’re not really hungry. You want to eat just to have something to crunch on, but you start feeling very, very irritated because your body is not getting enough nutrients to be mentally stable. People don’t like to talk about weaknesses and how we’re all numbing ourselves in one way or another. Whether it’s eating food or not eating food. Whether it is using Facebook and watching TV. It can be shopping. It’s a void that we’re trying to fill and we’re doing it in various ways. It’s not really talked about unless it is with alcohol and drugs, which is very visible. This movie brought this message to pay attention. It’s like the character says, “It’s not about being skinny or fat. It’s about life or death.” In the instance of eating disorders, that is the case. Plus, for me, this character that I play is very strong. I play the voice in your head that we all have that says negative things to ourselves. One day you sit down and say, “Let me actually listen to what I’m saying to myself,” and it’s horrifying. We put ourselves down so much. We’re our worst critics. I play this personification of this voice, which was very hard because it’s something we all have. To actually hear it out loud and be it was pretty intense.

Q) Do you think this issue effects high school students more or is it a broad spectrum of people no matter what their age?

A) It effects everyone, but in an environment like high school or a dancer in a company where you’re being daily criticized for stuff you are definitely susceptible. In high school, you’re going through stuff. Your body is changing because you are growing. So, sometimes those changes are pretty drastic and you can’t control them. You’re supposed to gain weight on your body, as a woman. It gets ready for you to some day have a baby. So, of course, it’s going to change. Then, you have everyone looking at you from the outside. Also, when you walk out of the door these days you have posters, magazines and the internet telling you what you should be. It pretty much tells you, “If you’re not that, you should be unhappy.” You are not conscious though of the messages you are being fed and you could potentially fall in to the category of someone who wants to change it and be “perfect” to fit that and get approval of the world. There are certain things in your life that you can’t change in your life. Eating you feel like you can. What goes along with it is that feeling of being weightless. It’s that feeling of, “I can do anything.” It’s having that little secret and exercising that will. In high school, if you can find other people who are obsessed you can latch on and be pulled into it more. Unfortunately, there are more girls that are mean and criticize. I’ve never met a girl who said, “You are beautiful the way you are!” At that age, it’s definitely the job of parents to tell their kids they are beautiful and perfect every single day. Ninety percent of the time we’re getting the other messages that we’re not good enough in some way. Just with everything, we’re learning and in school we’re getting grades. So, we’re constantly being judged on some level. If it’s not your intelligence, it’s your beauty, your skills or your personality. Guys are not looking at you because you aren’t pretty enough or smart enough. That’s a lot of pressure!

Q) What have you learned to counteract these kind of messages?

A) The first thing is awareness. If you are aware that is happening then at least you can block some of it out. Personally, I have a very strong spiritual life and a faith based life where I spend a big chunk of every single day on prayer, meditation and on something that connects me to my higher power where you do feel like you’re enough. It’s a place where you know, “I don’t need anything to feel good about myself. I don’t need another person to tell me that. I don’t need an external experience to tell me that. I am enough.” It’s definitely a daily thing. Unfortunately, we have to reprogram our brains every single day because majority of the messages are the other way. Being in this business, you’re being judged. I can’t tell you how many times my agent would tell me I didn’t get a job because my boobs weren’t big enough. I can laugh about it now because as an actress I treat myself like a product. If someone says no to that product, they are not saying no to Izabella. They are saying no to the product. There has got to be a clear distinction because if I fail or don’t get a movie, I don’t feel like I have failed as a person. It’s just the product didn’t have a good day or good sales. I can have an amazing life outside of my work life. In terms of physical, you do get criticized and watched. If you become a little more famous, you get more press and people want to watch you fail in some way. That’s a whole other level of strength you need to work on. I do affirmations, meditation, readings and kundalini yoga, which is somewhat physical, but a lot of it is energy work and focusing your mind on chanting. What you are learning is to control your mind and I think that’s very, very important. I guess I am very fortunate and lucky that I was brought up with a certain knowing of higher power. That gives me incredible comfort. Every time I turn to that power, whether it is prayer (not just religious) or talking to God all of a sudden you are sharing stuff with him and it works. If someone doesn’t have God or faith in their lives, if you just look into your mind and say, “I’m not going to let somebody or something effect the way I feel today. Why am I going to give these things so much power?” You start to control your reactions. You can’t control the world and what people say. You can only control your reaction to it. I think that is the awareness and doing this movie, when I had to say all these things as the negative monologue, it was awful. I thought I used to be that person who would say those things to myself. It’s that internal monologue that kills your happiness and your ability to grow. It was interesting to do and I said, “I’m so sorry Laura that I have to be so mean to you!”

Q) With being that negative voice, what did you learn about the person who is saying those things? Is it their own insecurities?

A) Yes! People who are evil, there is certain agenda and the bottom line comes from a certain fear and it comes from wanting to feel better about themselves. By putting someone else down, all of a sudden you feel better – for that second. Long term though, it just gets worse and worse and worse. That is something that is also an important thing to know. Bullying is another thing at school and it is awful. It comes from a deep insecurity. If someone is secure, they don’t need to bring someone else down. If they are really insecure, they feel the need to let the world know they aren’t as good as them. Instead of getting mad (and this is something I try to practice) or reacting to it, I try to understand they are coming from an insecure place. There is some sort of pain there and that is how they are operating. They don’t maybe realize it. So, if you don’t engage they will have no one to fight with so they will have to stop. Don’t feel the need to defend yourself. It’s hard at school because kids can be so mean. It’s horrible! Again, it takes a lot of work and it is up to the parents to just engrain this faith, security and self worth in kids before they leave for school  so they know, “No matter what happens out there, I’m great.” It is a daily thing. It’s like feeding someone. You have to feed someone good stuff and good thoughts.

Q) Will you be live tweeting during the movie to share insight with fans?

A) Absolutely!

Q) What else would you like to be sure to let others know about these kinds of disorders?

A) I think it is important that people realize that it doesn’t just effect women. It’s also with boys and men. It’s a mental illness. Just pay attention because there are people out there that might have a problem. Some people might have the problem themselves. There are places, people and communities out there that can get you help. It’s about reaching out. It’s a big thing as well. If people feel like they are very alone in their disease (whether it is an eating disorder, addiction or alcoholism) it’s not true. There are other people out there and that’s why the twelve step programs are so successful. They are communities created for that reason to give support. To get through this alone is kind of impossible. It’s like you, yourself, are telling yourself, but it is you that got yourself in trouble in the first place. If you feel like you have an issue, go online and find a free programs. Lots of groups are free and you can try them out to get some help. Get some help before you completely feel helpless.