Ashton Kutcher has mixed feelings about his return to the 'That 70s Show' franchise
Back in April, it was announced that almost all of the original cast of That '70s Show was returning for the spinoff, That '90s Show, set in 1995.
We’re talking Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Wilmer Valderrama, Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp and yes, real-life married couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who played star-crossed lovers Kelso and Jackie on the show.
Now, the Punk’d host and Uber investor has revealed that his reprisal of the himbo with a heart of gold – the role that made him and his wife famous (and y’know, led them to marry) – has been surreal, to say the least.
"It was really nostalgic to be back on the set," he told Variety on Monday, adding that "it's all the same folks that made That '70s Show, so it was pretty bizarre."
He recently expressed similar sentiments in another interview, where he called the shooting experience “super nostalgic and really odd. Going back into the basement -- just going back into the set was weird. And then being around everyone, it's just bizarre."
He also spoke a bit about the decision for him and Mila to agree to do the spin-off, and according to him, they feel a debt of gratitude.
"Mila and I were contemplating it. We thought, 'Listen, we're only in the position that we're in because of that show, so let's just go back and do this," he confessed to Variety.
"We just went back and had fun for a week. It was so random and fun."
Deadline reported in April that the series will follow the daughter of Eric and Donna (Grace and Prepon, respectively) as she visits her grandparents (Smith and Rupp) for the summer. Ashton, Mila and crew will make guest appearances on the show, but it will also follow a new, young crew at Point Place.
“Sex, drugs and rock ’n roll never dies, it just changes clothes.” So basically, expect a lot of 90s flannel, grunge music, and angsty ennui. We cannot wait.
Ashton raved about the series in the same interview, gushing, “It’s really funny. The new cast is phenomenal.”
This isn’t the first spinoff of the iconic show that ran from 1998 to 2006. Not long after That '70s Show went off the air, there was a short-lived That '80s Show that starred original cast member Glenn Howerton, but the story of mohawk punks listening to nouvelle vague didn’t jive with audiences.
Notably absent from the spin-off is the character Steven Hyde, played by Danny Masterson, who is currently awaiting trial for three counts of rape that reportedly occured between 2001 and 2003, while he was filming That '70s Show. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 45 years to life if guilty. No word as of yet how the spin-off will address his absence.
