Olivia Munn’s Heartfelt Advice to Her 16-Year-Old Self

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Olivia Munn’s emotionally heartfelt advice about her difficult transition back to Oklahoma at age 16.

Olivia Munn's Student sitting on bench outside Central High School in autumn with headphones and cassette player — A student sits quietly outside Central High School during autumn, lost in thought.

5 Things You Need to Know Before Reading

What is Olivia Munn reflecting on? Her difficult transition moving back to Oklahoma at age 16 after growing up in Tokyo.
Who helped her? Jenny Marsden, the sister of actor James Marsden, reached out and asked Munn to be her friend.
What impact did James Marsden have? Meeting him as a teenager inspired Munn to pursue acting despite others calling it a “lofty goal.”
What would she tell her younger self? “A lot of your dreams will come to fruition. It’s going to get so fun.”
What are they working on together? Both star in season 2 of Your Friends & Neighbors on Apple TV.

Olivia Munn's Two high school students shaking hands across a table in a crowded cafeteria. — Two students share a friendly handshake across a lunch table in a busy high school cafeteria.

Olivia Munn’s Revealation What She’d Tell Her Younger Self

Olivia Munn is opening up about the painful transition she faced as a teenager and the message she wishes she could share with her younger self. The actress, 45, spoke exclusively with PEOPLE alongside her Your Friends & Neighbors costar James Marsden. She reflected on returning to Oklahoma at 16 after growing up in Tokyo – a move she describes as deeply challenging.

Olivvia Munn’s Most Difficult Time to Enter a New School

“I came back at 16 years old, the most difficult time to enter a new school. I had a really difficult time meeting friends,” Munn says. Everything changed when one classmate, Jenny Marsden, James’s sister, reached out.

“There was one girl named Jenny Marsden who asked me to be her friend and hang out,” Munn recalls. At the time, Jenny mentioned her brother was acting on a CBS show. That detail left a lasting impression on Munn, who already dreamed of becoming an actress. She was now “one degree away from meeting somebody who had made it.”

Olivvia Munn’s Unexpected Inspiration

Teenager sitting on school steps using phone; woman waving on red carpet at awards event — A teenager joyfully texting at school contrasts with a glamorous celebrity on the red carpet.

When James Marsden came home to visit, he took his sister and her friends out, leaving a profound impact on Munn. “When I met him, he was so impactful to me and the way I was thinking,” Munn says. “I thought, ‘I’m going to lock in, and everybody else telling me that this is a lofty goal, I’m not listening. I’m going to keep going.'”

More than two decades later, the pair are now starring together in season 2 of Your Friends & Neighbors.

What Olivia Munn’s 16-Year-Old Self

“I really wish that I could go back in time and tell the 16-year-old me who was really struggling making friends in school… that it’s going to get so fun,” Munn says. “There are a lot of things that are going to work out. A lot of your dreams will come to fruition.”

Munn adds that even the smallest interactions can carry a lasting impact. “You never know when you’re going to impact someone’s life. It could be a very small moment for you, but it could be such a core memory for someone else.”

A Full Circle Moment

Both actors attended Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City. James graduated in 1991, while Munn walked the stage in 1998. In 2025, James recalled reconnecting with Munn after reuniting at a Hollywood event.

“Olivia ran up to me at a GQ party in L.A. years later, and she said, ‘I’m friends with Jenny, your sister, we went to Applebee’s back in the day!’ And I was like, ‘Wait, what, I would have remembered you!’ It’s just so funny. And now we’re doing this show together, it’s amazing,” James told PEOPLE.

Munn and James are also both part of the X-Men universe. James starred as Cyclops in the original X-Men trilogy (2000, 2003, 2006). Munn played Psylocke in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016).

How to Watch

New episodes of Your Friends & Neighbors arrive Fridays on Apple TV through June 5.

Shop Olivia Munn’s Movies and TV Shows on Amazon

Source Information:

PEOPLE: Olivia Munn Reveals What She’d Tell Her 16-Year-Old Self Who Was ‘Really Struggling Making Friends’ (Exclusive)

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