The Extraction 2 Star Olga Kurylenko Shares Swimsuit Photo "Enjoying the Holidays"

The Extraction 2 star Olga Kurylenko spent plenty of time getting rest and relaxation over the summer (and it's well-earned). Kurylenko, who plays Mia in the action thriller, shared a picture of herself posing in a purple bikini, looking serene with no makeup and her hair pulled back. "Last days of summer, then back to work 🙏🙌💪 Who is enjoying their holidays? 🌞", she captioned the post. Kurylenko has been working since she was a teenager—here are some life rules she lives by, and what she wants to do next.

Kurylenko started her career as a model. "I started when I was 16 and I think I did just over 10 years' modeling," she says. "I started in Russia – that was '95 – and then I wanted to take it to a different level because in those days they just didn't have the international fashion magazines. Elle didn't exist, Marie Claire didn't exist. So I moved to Paris to continue modeling. I did my first film in 2004 [The Ring Finger] and after that I modeled for another year and a half, because by the time it came out, I didn't know how people were going to react or if it would take off. But once it did take off, I didn't need to model any more."

Kurylenko worked in France before Hollywood, and says the European standard for beauty is different. "In France, actresses can be beautiful, but they look more like normal people," she says. "They're not an 'ideal' beauty; they're just very 'real'. And if you're too beautiful, they do have a problem with that. In the beginning everyone knew I was a model, so in France I did have a bit of difficulty. I did get some answers, like: 'You can't do this – you're too beautiful. We need a normal person.' And I was like: 'I am a normal person!' In America they wouldn't really say that, because it's normal to be beautiful. In the UK, I think it might be between the two, I guess. It's Europe but it's also like America."

Kurylenko is a proud feminist. "In Russia – and I mean any ex-USSR country – there's this belief a woman cannot ever achieve anything or make her own money unless she goes with a rich man," she says. "It always made me so angry, so I decided to prove them wrong. I will make my own money, not depending on anybody. I wasn't married to anyone influential or even anyone who earned money."df44d9eab23ea271ddde7545ae2c09ec

Kurylenko wants to move into more family-friendly features. "Well, my son always says, 'Mummy, can I watch your movies?' but unfortunately they have far too much blood and violence in them, so I'd like to do some kiddie movies next, something that Alexander can watch," she says. "I'd like to play a witch or a princess in a fairytale, or get a role in Peppa Pig!"

Kurylenko's advice for young actors is to take control of their lives and their work as much as possible. "Nobody helped me. I didn't ask anyone for their help," she says. "I didn't have any influential friends; in every country I went, I didn't know anybody. And whatever offers came, I often said: 'No.' And here I am. I don't know if it's strength of character or what… I would say to the girl: 'Don't go and do just anything that anyone asks you to do. Whatever they promise… it's all a lie.' Because whatever people say, they're not gonna do it; it's just a trick. It's pretty common sense, though. I don't know how anybody could believe that they're gonna get anything that way. I guess some people do get what they want, but they're going to have to live with themselves and look at themselves in the mirror in the morning. Maybe they can do it… I can't."