Actor Wilmer Valderrama has spoken out about the “friendly rivalry” he had with former co-star Ashton Kutcher while filming That '70s Show.
In his new memoir, “American Story: Everyone's Invited,” Valderrama describes the dynamics of the hit Fox sitcom, from his audition to landing the role of Fez to his behind-the-scenes relationship with Kushner.
“Ashton was far smarter in real life than the character he played and took his acting much more seriously than he appeared,” Valderrama, 44, wrote of Kutcher, 46, who played Michael Kelso.
The “NCIS” actor compared himself to his co-star Kushner, saying he “always comes to set extremely prepared, just like me.”
At some point, the two young men began to enjoy competing with each other.
“He and I quickly developed a friendly rivalry over who could get the biggest laugh from the audience on the first take,” he writes.
Valderrama was 18 and Kushner was 19 when the pair began working on the comedy show.
The actor explained that the audience's laughter at the premiere was “louder than usual.” According to US Weekly“If you mess it up on the first take and then try to get a laugh on the second, the joke won't come across as powerfully. If it takes a third or fourth take, it's best to give up.”
“Two-takers” is the nickname Kushner and Valderrama gave themselves, because they “always try to get the first take perfect, and then do a second take just for fun.”
Valderrama writes that when he was sent to audition for the show, he didn't put in much effort at first.
“Like anything else, I vowed to give it my all,” he explained, “but after a few years of auditioning without much success, I learned not to expect too much.”
During the audition process, the voice of “Handy Mandy” was up against Topher Grace, who would later be cast as Eric Forman. Valderrama recalled the first time he saw Grace, calling him “a tall, skinny kid with a lot of dark hair.”
Over the years, Valderrama has grown a respect for Grace, calling him “an incredible actor.”
The show first aired in 1998 and ran for eight seasons before ending in 2006. The iconic cast included Laura Prepon, Danny Masterson, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, and Mila Kunis, the youngest member of the cast at just 14 years old.
Valderrama was full of praise for his former co-stars, writing that he had a “beautiful bond” with Prepon, who was like a little sister to him on set, and he described the cast as a close-knit family.
“We bonded in real life and the more we chatted between takes, the more fun the show seemed to become. … We laughed, we joked, we played pranks on each other. … As co-stars, we became each other's biggest fans,” the actor said.
By the time the final episode was filmed, the cast wasn't ready to say goodbye to their characters or the community they'd built.
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“We all went to lunch together 10 days in a row after that,” he wrote, adding that he'll be forever grateful to “That '70s Show” for launching his career.
Valderrama and most of the cast appeared in the first season of the reboot series “That 90's Show,” which aired in January 2023. Valderrama decided not to appear in season two.
“This is their show now and I think it was important for us to come and pay tribute to their show and enjoy the legacy of what we've done,” he said. According to People“At the same time, I was really excited to see them take it on.”
Since the show ended, Valderrama has appeared in shows like “From Duck Till Dawn: The Series,” “Minority Report” and most recently “NCIS.”
Valderrama plays Nick Torres. He told The Hollywood Reporter About the next season of “NCIS” and what fans can expect.
“We're exploring more of the characters' personal journeys,” the actor told the outlet, “There's going to be a little more humor this season, a little more emotion for our protagonists, and maybe they'll be in greater danger.”
Season 22 of the hit crime drama will premiere on NBC on October 14th.
