Wilmer Valderrama remembers his own That 70s show days with Ashton Kutcher.
On Tuesday, September 17, NCIS The 44-year-old actor published his memoirs, American Story: Everyone’s Invited. In the book, Valderrama, who played Fez, talked about auditioning for the sitcom and what it was like working with Kutcher, 46, after landing the part, according to Us Weekly.
“Ashton was far more intelligent in real life than the character he played, and he was far more serious about acting than he appeared,” Valderrama admitted of Failed alum, who became known to fans as Michael Kelso, the show’s jock.
Ashton Kutcher and Wilmer Valderrama — That ’70s Show.
20th Century Fox/Everett
According to Valderrama, the thing he and Kutcher had in common was that Kutcher “always came on set extremely prepared.”
“He and I soon developed a friendly rivalry to see who could get the biggest laugh out of the audience in the first frame,” Valderrama wrote, adding that then “the laughs are always bigger.”
The Stars of That ’70s Show: Where Are They Now?
“If you mess up in the first shot and try to get a big laugh in the second, the joke will never be as strong. If you need to take the third or fourth shot, you can forget about it,” he said.
The duo eventually resorted to “twice” because they would “always try to hit the first one perfectly and then do a second try just for fun.”
Valderrama also admitted that he didn’t think much of it at first That 70s showwhose original name is Teenage wasteland.
“In the beginning, I didn’t invest much in the series. I promised to do my best, like everything else. But after auditioning for a few years without much success, you learn not to get your hopes up too much,” Valderrama wrote.
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Actors of the series ‘That ’70s Show’. FOX/Getty
In addition to Valderrama and Kutcher, the series also starred Topher Grace (Eric Forman), Laura Prepon (Donna Pinciotti), Mila Kunis (Jackie Burkhart), Danny Masterson (Steven Hyde), Debra Jo Rupp (Kitty Forman), Kurtwood Smith (Red Forman), Tanya Roberts (Midge Pinciotti), Don Stark (Bob Pinciotti), Lisa Robin Kelly (Laurie Forman) and Tommy Chong (Leo Chingkwake). That 70s show it was shown for 8 seasons from 1998 to 2006.
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In January 2023, Netflix launched That 70s show spin-off, That show from the 90s.
Although some of the original cast returned to Wisconsin, at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Television Festival in Monaco in June, Valderrama told PEOPLE why he wasn’t part of the new series.
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Wilmer Valderrama, May 2024.
Corine Solberg/FilmMagic
“There is no time!” he told PEOPLE exclusively.
“We are looking for 20 episodes per season [on NCIS]but at the same time, those are kids’ jobs,” he added, referring to the spin-off’s new cast members.
Ashton Kutcher Says It Was ‘Pretty Bizarre’ Filming Upcoming ‘That ’70s Show’ Spin-Off
The reboot stars Callie Haverda as Leia Forman, daughter of Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti, as well as Max Donovan, Ashley Aufderheide, Sam Morelos, Reyn Doi and Mace Coronel.
“This is their show now and I think it was important that we came and paid tribute to their show and had fun with the legacy of what we were doing,” Valderrama continued. “At the same time, it was really about, you know, now seeing how they take it.”
That 70s show is available to stream on Peacock.
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Source: HIS Education