Olga Kurylenko is fluent in Russian, French, English, and Spanish, and for someone so statuesque (she stands at 5ft 9"), it's perhaps surprising to learn the actress and former model grew up in grinding poverty in Berdyansk, Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union).
She was raised as an only child in cramped circumstances by her mother, Marina, and grandmother, Raisa, in a small four-room flat shared with as many as eight other relatives. "It was as bad as you could imagine," recalls Kurylenko, and she often ate little more than cabbage, sardines, and stale bread.
At 13, the future actress was spotted by an agent in the subway in Moscow and within four years was a top model earning several hundred thousand dollars a year. At 18, Kurylenko moved to Paris to model and learn to act, and she made her feature debut in 2005 in the French film L'annulaire (The Ring Finger). Within three years, she was a Bond girl in 2008's Quantum of Solace.
In more recent times, Kurylenko has combined cinematic releases with streaming projects – from The Princess to High Heat to Extraction 2 – yet nothing comes close to her portrayal of Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, a role she returns to in 2025 in Thunderbolts.
Kurylenko is twice divorced – her first husband was a French photographer, her second an American telecom entrepreneur – and has a son with former partner Max Benitz, the English actor and writer.
STRIPLV: Thunderbolts contains such a strong, powerful, female superhero element, which is great to see, right? KURYLENKO: Returning as Taskmaster in Thunderbolts is an exciting prospect. When I was first approached to play Antonia Dreykov in Black Widow, I was most intrigued by the character's complexity and the opportunity to bring a fresh perspective forward. Yet, I still thought I was faking it a little, if I'm honest. I think that's natural when you first step into the shoes of something that already exists – it takes you time to catch up. That feels like a different 'me' though now. Now it's nice to come back to it, fully in control of the role. I think you can only get that with time and experience. As for the story itself, I love the way each character brings their own set of skills, backgrounds, and moral compasses. That creates such a complex interplay that I know audiences will find compelling. STRIPLV: How physical was your preparation? KURYLENKO: As you can imagine, I underwent extensive training to ensure I could do justice to the character's formidable combat skills. We changed things up a fair bit from last time, and the interactions are different. There was also more work this time with stunt coordinators; it's that evolution that comes with having already done something once. This time, you know your limitations, and you also know where you can legitimately push yourself to make the role even more authentic and real. I also had to work more closely this time to develop choreography that reflects Taskmaster's ability to mimic the fighting styles of others. The evolution of Taskmaster from Black Widow to Thunderbolts is huge, and something I found really compelling. In Black Widow, Antonia's story was one of control and manipulation. Now, in Thunderbolts, we explore her journey towards autonomy and self-discovery, a bit like my own. STRIPLV: Generally speaking, what's your approach to film and movie projects? KURYLENKO: I never want to get stuck in a certain type of role, so I've keep looking for different stories where people can see that I can do more than just play the femme fatale. I'm very grateful for what I've been able to accomplish. Where I come from, you learn to be happy sometimes just to see the sun come up in the morning. I remember what it's like to be very poor and worry about everything, and I've worked hard to make a good life for myself and help my family. There will never be a day when I think I have it made. I will always be thinking about my next job. STRIPLV: Do you try to feel more optimistic now that you've achieved a lot of success as an actress? KURYLENKO: It's hard for me to avoid thinking that everything is going to collapse. When you grow up worrying about your survival all the time, it's hard to feel freer and easy-going even when things seem to be going well. But I'm working on being more relaxed about my life and not falling into the trap of feeling nervous and anxious that, because you're doing well now, it means that something bad is going to happen or that it's all going to go away. It's a terrible feeling that you get sometimes in your stomach, but I'm trying to stop that kind of thinking. STRIPLV: Did you dream of becoming a movie star as a young girl? KURYLENKO: No, I originally wanted to be a doctor because my grandmother was a doctor, and I started reading medical books as a child rather than fairy tales. I would read books about illnesses, surgery, and very strange things. My mother would ask me why I wanted to read about such things. (Laughs) STRIPLV: What was it like growing up in Berdyansk? KURYLENKO: Mine was a town you had to leave if you wanted a big career, like many towns in many countries. In Berdyansk, there's nothing apart from the beach and vacation. In a way, it's like Miami; it's a holiday place. It's nice and warm in the summer, and we have lots of tourists, but in the winter, it's dead. STRIPLV: What were the worst times? KURYLENKO: I don't want to make a big deal about it because many people live in difficult situations, and they certainly are now with the war, but it was a struggle for my family. You're worried about survival and having enough money to pay for basic things. It was a luxury to eat a good meal or to have money to buy new clothes. It is sad that we are back to this point after seeing the nation grow so much in the three decades since, but this is life. STRIPLV: You were discovered at age 13 at a Moscow subway station, right? KURYLENKO: My mother and I were visiting Moscow, and it was like being in a science-fiction film for me. It was the first time I saw skyscrapers, escalators, and all these incredible shopping malls. A woman approached us, saying she was a talent scout looking for new faces. The next year, the talent agency paid for me to go to modelling school, and that led to a lot of work for me. I was happy to be able to have a real life and be able to help my family, but I didn't enjoy modelling. I found it very lonely and boring. I didn't like going to wild parties, trying to be part of a glamorous scene, and hanging out in nightclubs. That wasn't who I wanted to be. But I loved movies, so I decided to take acting classes, and that became my dream. Acting was something that inspired me, and I worked very hard at it. Anyway, being a model is very limiting. You don't get to express yourself, and you feel very alienated from everything. I'm very grateful to have had a good career as a model, as it provided me with financial security and paved the way for my entry into acting. However, I know I have had to work incredibly hard to earn every opportunity. STRIPLV: Is that your Ukrainian side, that incredible work ethic and refusal to be beaten? KURYLENKO: I suppose it is. I lived under very difficult circumstances, and I learned to become tougher and to keep working as hard as I could. I know I'm much more practical and serious about the way I approach my life in the overall sense, I mean, how I think about the choices I make, the work I do, not wanting to waste time. I can also have a very suspicious and doubting nature because growing up in Ukraine can be a very hopeless experience. STRIPLV: Of course, the challenges in Ukraine these days are different from your own but similar. How do you feel about the past few years? KURYLENKO: It has been desperately hard and desperately depressing. I feel the end is in sight, but at what cost? Mostly, the Ukrainian people are very proud, and while of course the absolute goal is to emerge from war with our families, our friends, and our lives intact, even if we achieve that, it will not take away from the way our respect and pride has been hurt. These are very big things for my people. I don't see a way we can restore that pride quickly, but we will restore it over time and be a proud nation again. STRIPLV: Are you emotional in real life? KURYLENKO: I can be very sensitive and sad at times. I find it hard to hide my feelings, and my friends can tell when something is not going right in my life or when I'm feeling down. Usually, I'm very enthusiastic and happy about life, and I love being around people who are open and have a great spirit about the world. It helps take me out of my darker eastern moods! STRIPLV: Do you feel confident in finding roles that aren't driven by your looks or ability to portray a sexy woman? KURYLENKO: I've tried to avoid those kinds of roles ever since I did the Bond film. I had some good people advising me, and I also knew that it can be a trap to keep playing those kinds of sexy parts because that's all people think you can do. I've had so many really interesting roles lately, and I am confident that this trend will continue. I love acting so much, and I still want to accomplish so much more. STRIPLV: It seems that life is good these days. KURYLENKO: It's very exciting. I enjoy being independent and working hard. This is the kind of life I always wanted to have. I still remember arriving in Paris and having to grow up very fast. The world just hits you in the face, and you have to learn to take care of yourself. That's what I've been doing ever since.
COLORS AND CANVAS
Olga Kurylenko finds solace and expression through painting.
For Olga Kurylenko, acting may be her profession, but painting is her sanctuary. Away from the cameras, she immerses herself in the world of art, using brushes and colours to explore emotions that words cannot always capture. "Painting is my way of escaping the chaos of the world," she says. "It's where I find my peace."
Her love for art dates back to her childhood in Soviet Ukraine, where resources were scarce but creativity was boundless. "We didn't have much, but I would draw on anything I could find—scraps of paper, old notebooks. Art was my escape, my way of imagining something bigger."
Now, between film projects, she continues to paint, often taking inspiration from her travels and personal experiences. Her style is fluid, shifting between abstract and impressionist influences, with a focus on bold colors and deep contrasts. "I love how a single brushstroke can change the entire mood of a painting. It's like acting—one small detail can make all the difference."
While she has no immediate plans to showcase her work publicly, Kurylenko sees painting as a deeply personal pursuit. "It's not about selling or displaying it. It's about expression, about having a space where I can be entirely myself."