She fell through the roof of a flying taxi and changed everything. Honestly, if you grew up in the late nineties, you probably remember that shock of orange hair and the white thermal bandages. It wasn't just a costume. It was a moment where Milla Jovovich, the actress from The Fifth Element, redefined what a female action lead could actually look like. Luc Besson’s 1997 neon-soaked fever dream gave us Leeloo, the "Supreme Being," but it also gave Jovovich a career trajectory that basically paved the way for every "enhanced" female protagonist we’ve seen since.
Leeloo was weird. She was vulnerable but could kick through a wall. That balance is hard to pull off without looking ridiculous, but she did it.
The Audition That Almost Didn't Happen
Most people don't realize how close we came to a different Leeloo. Jovovich wasn't a lock-in. She actually failed her first audition. Besson thought she looked too "done up" or "typical" during the initial meet-and-greet in Los Angeles. She had the heavy makeup, the look of a 90s model—which she was—and it just didn't click with the raw, elemental vibe he wanted.
Fate intervened at a hotel.
Milla was staying at the same place as Besson a few weeks later. She saw him by the pool, went up to him with a completely scrubbed-clean face, and said something to the effect of, "Remember me?" That was the spark. He saw the "creature" he was looking for. This wasn't about being a bombshell; it was about being something other.
The training was brutal. She spent months working on "Leeloo-speak," a fictional language of about 400 words that she and Besson developed together. They would actually write letters to each other in this made-up tongue to practice. By the time cameras rolled, they could have full conversations that sounded like gibberish to everyone else on set but made perfect sense to them. That's the kind of dedication that keeps a movie from feeling like a hollow CGI spectacle.
Why Leeloo Was Different from Other Action Stars
In the 90s, you had two types of action women. You had the hyper-masculine "one of the guys" types, and you had the damsels. Leeloo was neither. She was a child-like deity who could dismantle a squad of Mangalores in seconds while listening to opera.
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It’s about the movement.
Jovovich has this background in modeling, sure, but she translated that into a specific kind of physical acting that felt alien. Look at the way she tilts her head when she sees a chicken for the first time or the way she stares at the "War" entry on the computer. It’s heart-wrenching. You’re watching a god discover that the world she’s supposed to save is actually kind of terrible.
The "Diva Dance" scene is the peak of this. While the blue alien Plavalaguna is hitting those impossible high notes, Milla is synchronized-fighting in a dark room. It’s rhythmic. It’s violent. It’s beautiful. It’s why people are still dressing up as her at Comic-Con nearly thirty years later.
The Transition to the Resident Evil Dynasty
After The Fifth Element, Jovovich could have easily fallen into the "it-girl" trap. She didn't. She leaned into the weird. She did The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, which was polarizing, to say the least. But then came Resident Evil in 2002.
If The Fifth Element made her a star, Alice made her a franchise.
Critics mostly hated those movies. It didn't matter. Fans loved them. She played Alice for fifteen years across six films. Think about that. Most actors get tired of a franchise after three movies. She leaned in. She did her own stunts. She worked with her husband, director Paul W.S. Anderson, to build a billion-dollar cinematic universe before Marvel made it cool.
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There's a specific "Milla Jovovich" style of action:
- Long, lean lines in the choreography.
- A focus on facial expressions during combat—she never looks bored.
- A willingness to look genuinely beat up.
She wasn't just the actress from The Fifth Element anymore; she was the most consistent female action lead in Hollywood history.
The Reality of Being a Sci-Fi Icon
Is she the greatest dramatic actor of her generation? Probably not. But that’s a boring way to look at it. Acting in sci-fi and horror requires a specific kind of "buy-in." You have to believe in the monsters. If the actor looks like they think the script is silly, the audience checks out immediately.
Jovovich never checks out.
Whether she’s in a high-budget flick or a weird indie like Dummy, she’s 100% there. That's why she works. People often bring up her music career too—her album The Divine Comedy is actually surprisingly good folk-pop—which just proves she’s always been more of an "artist" than a "product." She’s a musician, a designer, and a mother who happens to be really good at looking cool while jumping off buildings.
Breaking Down the "Supreme Being" Legacy
When we look back at 1997, the landscape was crowded. Titanic was eating the world. Men in Black was the big sci-fi hit. Yet, The Fifth Element has this specific, colorful staying power.
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Jean-Paul Gaultier designed the costumes, and Milla was his muse. Those "bandage" outfits? They were inspired by a hospital stay. The orange hair? It was actually a nightmare to maintain. Her hair got so fried from the constant dyeing that they eventually had to switch to a wig because it was literally falling out.
That’s the reality of movie magic. It’s messy.
The film's message—that love is the fifth element—is cheesy as hell on paper. But when Leeloo is crying in the back of the cab and Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) is trying to figure out what to do with her, you buy it. You buy it because Jovovich plays it with zero irony. She’s not "too cool" for the role.
What to Watch If You Miss the 90s Vibe
If you’ve watched The Fifth Element eighty times and need something else that captures that Jovovich energy, don't just go for the blockbusters.
Check out A Perfect Getaway. It’s a 2009 thriller that most people skipped. It’s smart, she’s great in it, and it shows off her ability to play "normal" while still keeping you on edge. Or go back to Dazed and Confused. She has barely any lines, but her presence as Michelle is the ultimate 70s-by-way-of-the-90s vibe.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the world of Milla Jovovich and her iconic 1997 breakout, there are a few things you should actually do rather than just scrolling through IMDb.
- Track down the "In Our Own Words" documentary: It’s often included in the special features of the 4K remaster of The Fifth Element. It gives the best behind-the-scenes look at the language creation process.
- Look for the Gaultier sketches: Many of the original costume sketches for Leeloo have been published in fashion archives. Seeing the transition from high-fashion sketch to tactical film gear is fascinating for anyone into design.
- Support her recent ventures: She’s been very active in supporting humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, her birthplace. Following her social channels often provides a more grounded look at her life outside of the sci-fi costumes.
- Watch "The Diva Dance" breakdown: There are several YouTube videos where professional opera singers analyze the song Jovovich’s character "performs." It adds a whole new layer of appreciation for the scene's complexity.
Milla Jovovich didn't just play a character in a movie; she created a visual language for what a powerful, strange, and empathetic heroine could be. We’re still living in the world Leeloo built. From the futuristic aesthetic of modern K-pop videos to the character designs in games like Cyberpunk 2077, the "actress from The Fifth Element" is everywhere. She wasn't just a star of the nineties. She was a blueprint for the future.