Why Ashton Kutcher Isn't Cast Very Much Anymore

in the early 2000s Ashton Kutcher starred in fan favorite comedies like dude wears my car and just married but these days it's rare to see the That 70s Show star leading a major movie and as it turns out there's a good reason for that viewers might have been split between team Kelo and team Hyde when it came to Jackie's love life throughout That 70s Show but Ashton Kutcher's onscreen presence as the funloving bonehead simply could not be denied the show catapulted the then 21-year-old into instant Fain he then went on to solidify his status as a TV Star by co-creating the MTV prank series punked on that show Kutcher and Company pulled practical jokes on some very famous people I think I've just been punked and I'm not particularly happy about it in the early 2000s Kutcher even brought mesh trucker hats back into style although Kutcher did have some initial success in the movies with starring roles in 2000s dude wears my car and 200 and 3es just married both films earn scathing reviews Dude Where's My Car where's your car dude ker tried to turn things around with a starring role in the 2004 time travel Thriller the butterfly effect but while the movie made a nice chunk of change critics didn't like it that said none of Kutcher's movies except for the 2014 documentary the man who saved the world which he barely appeared in have ever broken the 50% threshold in their Rotten Tomato scores some of Kutcher's biggest commercial successes on the big screen have been comedies these include the 2008 romcom what happens in Vegas the 2010 Ensemble dramedy Valentine's Day and 2011's no strings attached in each of those movies Ker's quirky demeanor helped his characters connect with audiences and although none of them were as dimwitted as Michael Kelo they weren't exactly mea material either put simply Ker's fans seem to prefer when his character stick to the most basic levels of intelligence as his film momentum slowed Kutcher made what was poised to be a winning return to television in 2011 by replacing Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men I am on a drug it's called Charlie Sheen um it uh it's not available cuz if you try it once you w die despite the fact that ker seemed like an ideal addition to the hit show its ratings quickly declined Kutcher again tried his hand at the big screen with a supporting role in the 2014 Annie Revival but that film was a disappointment with both critics and audiences in 2016 he made his return to TV by starring in the Netflix sitcom the ranch the ranch had the potential to present a true return to form for Kutcher the Buddy comedy featured Kutcher and his former That 70s Show co-star Danny Masterson as brothers who learn how to work together on their family's Ranch like Kelso and Hyde the two brothers were Polar Opposites of one another and and the best jokes were often made at Kutcher's expense however reviews for the series were mostly lukewarm making matters worse Masterson was accused of sexual assaults by multiple women in 2017 and was ultimately fired from the series Not only was Kutcher's TV comeback unable to return him to his status as a staple of small screen comedy but the show was also marred with a major met to era controversy while Kutcher's on camera career has started to wne he found a new calling as a technology afficionado he credits his experience starring in commercials with inspiring his interest in getting behind the scenes of product development he told Forbes I had done a traditional endorsement deal for Nikon at the time I'm like whoa hold on wait a second I've got to figure out how to get in the equity game because it just makes so much more sense he then decided to channel his Fame and Fortune into funding startup ventures in Silicon Valley the two funds he started with guio Siri called a gr Investments and sound Venture have been highly successful with investments in companies like uber Airbnb and Spotify to name a few Kutcher was even named one of time's 100 most influential people as a result of his entrepreneurial activities he is estimated to have turned a $50 million investment into over $250 million in counting suffice it to say most actors could only dream of having a fallback career like the one Kutcher has carved out for himself Kutcher has also seen his reputation take a few hits which may have cost him some acting work for example in 2011 he reacted to the news of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's firing by writing on X how do you fire Joe paw as a Hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste he later claimed to have been unaware of the circumstances surrounding Paterno's aler namely the accusation that he had overlooked multiple accounts of sexual abuse against children by former assistant coach Jerry sanduski as a result Kutcher later apologized for the terrible hot take even so he drew a lot of ir for his exost then in 2017 he was again forced to eat his words after he posted a toned deaf list of questions he pled a post about what constitutes improper workplace Behavior he later admitted he was taking the wrong approach the damage was done however and many wondered whether Kutcher was his for W thinking as his work suggested on top of those gaffs Kutcher was also accused of having a bad attitude during an interview with Sharon Osborne after she got his name wrong according to Osborne he even demeaned her accomplishments by asking what have you done in this industry needless to say Osborne was not happy with the TV star for someone like Kutcher remaining in the public eye is key to maintaining his status unfortunately some of the comments that Kutcher and his wife M lunis have made over the years have resulted in a lot of negative attention case in point Kutcher's ties with the controversial Rabbi Yehuda Berg Berg is a former co-director of the cabala center an organization that called the likes of Lindsay Lohan Madonna and Kutcher's ex-wife Demi Moore among its many Ardent followers many have sworn by the teachings of cabala a more mystical interpretation of Judaism but Berg attracted all the wrong kinds of attention when he was accused of sexual misconduct in 2014 Berg was the recipient of a massive civil suit accusing him of inappropriate and unwanted sexual contact ultimately Berg was ordered to pay a five- figure sum to his alleged victim while the sensor itself also had to Shell out a significant amount though Kutcher played no direct part in the whole Affair the fact that Berg was an officiator at his wedding to Moore made many question their close Association when it comes to casting a leading man for a new movie studios won a star who's going to be a good collaborator and promoter of the film and unfortunately for Kutcher he doesn't have the best track record when it comes to doing whatever is needed to make a project a success most infamously Kutcher dropped out of that 70 show after its seventh season citing scheduling conflicts with his burgeoning movie career though he made a handful of guest appearances in the show's final season he didn't renew his contract as a series regular combined with the loss of Topher Grace the show couldn't survive and ended after its eighth season Additionally the wildly successful punp went through a cancellation scare in 2004 when Kutcher decided he'd had enough of the show and officially quit though he eventually worked out an 11th Hour deal to return the show ultimately came to an end after 5 years when Kutcher walked away for a second time though some theorized that the first exit in 2004 was a ruse to convince unsuspecting celebrity prank targets that the show was over Kutcher's history of walking away from successful gigs may have made producers wary of his commitment to his projects since his breakout role as Michael Kelo on That 70s Show Kutcher has had a pretty familiar career trajectory he initially took a string of similar roles however when he found himself typ cast as an oish slacker Kutcher brought in his filmography with a few dramas perhaps in an effort to be taken more serious ly but outside of his iconic TV role Kutcher hasn't received the best reviews for his performances and as a result has earned a reputation as a bad actor none of this of course is to say that he actually is a bad actor as Michael Kelo he earned a lot of praise and a DieHard fan base Kutcher has also demonstrated that he can be charming and likable in the right role the problem however might be his bad luck with movies after all it's not Ker's fault that 2020 22's Vengeance wasn't a bigger hit at the end of the day most Studios make their casting decisions based on what they see on screen and from what critics and audiences feel about an actor and unfortunately for whatever the reason might be Kutcher doesn't have the best track record on film in the early 2010s Ashton Kutcher was cast to play the late Steve Jobs in a sweeping biopic of the Revolutionary Tech innovator it was a role that challenged him even terrified him but it didn't turn out as well as he might have hoped in addition to being overshadowed by Steven soderberg's biopic starring Michael Fender as the Apple co-founder jobs was panned by critics you stole my software while Kutcher may have done a better job than fast Bender of looking like jobs reviews pointed to his poor performance and lackluster portrayal of the polarizing computer genius as a result kocher's career was nearly ended by the film and that's not hyperbole after the film's unspectacular theatrical run ccher didn't star in another movie for a decade though Hollywood didn't exactly Blacklist him it would seem that the film sullied Kutcher's reputation interest in the actor as a leading man slipped and the vision of Kutcher as Steve Jobs may still be what resonates with some in the industry that said when seeking an actor for a high-profile production few Studio executives are willing to roll the dice on someone who who hasn't delivered a hit movie in more than 15 years bad press poor reviews and disappointing box office runs aren't the only reasons that Kutcher stopped acting in the 2010s though most people weren't privy to it at the time medical issues also played a big part in the actor stepping away from Hollywood in 2022 Kutcher revealed that a few years earlier he'd been diagnosed with a devastating autoimmune disorder the disease a rare form of vasculitis causes a a swelling of the blood vessels that decreases blood flow and can often cause near fatal organ failure for Kutcher the effects were very serious with the actor all but losing both his vision and hearing for a time as well as his ability to walk Kutcher genuinely feared that he might lose those abilities forever and had to come to terms with the fact that his career might be over thankfully he was able to make a full recovery not only did his sight and hearing all return to normal but he was even able to get into good enough shape to enter a marathon in 2022 if I can go from not being able to walk to running a marathon in a threeyear span then I can sort of just let that be a part of the past and be like I'm back I'm good but even with his remarkable medical turnaround his diagnosis meant that he was unable to audition for over a year from his many non-acting Endeavors to his medical problems Kutcher had a lot on his plate over the last decade no Duty was more important to him though than being a husband and father his marriage to his That 70s Show co-star Neil lunis was one of the most high-profile Hollywood marriages of the previous decade as the two were officially wet in 2015 after dating for nearly 3 years a year before the couple got married they welcomed their first child Isabelle their second child Dimitri was born in 2016 Kutcher told People magazine in 2023 for me the number one role I will ever play is to be the father while many celebrity parents juggle their jobs in front of the camera with raising their kids Kutcher and Kunis put acting aside to raise their two children and it wouldn't be until his daughter Isabelle was school age that Kutcher decided to get back to work as an actor even when he did though Kutcher didn't want to put being a good dad on the back burner while filming your place or mine Kutcher even sacrificed some of his salary in order to move the production to Los Angeles so he could still spend time with his k kids while working with that kind of Family Focus Kutcher May Simply Be selective about where and when he wants to work by 2020 Ashton Kutcher hadn't been top build in a film in quite a few years and while he spent time away from the acting game dealing with health issues and raising a family he took a supporting role in BJ Novak's 2022 film Vengeance the film received good reviews and within a year Kutcher decided the time was right for a real comeback in 202 3 he starred opposite Reese Witherspoon in the romantic comedy your place or mine the movie is the classic story of two platonic best friends who realize they're in love with each other it's a predictable concept to be sure but even the most formulaic movies can still be good this one however didn't pass muster as both critics and audiences gave the movie a failing grade that said much of the criticism fell squarely on Ker's shoulders with many feeling that he and Witherspoon had absolutely zero onscreen chemistry so the fact that your place or mine was a massive failure probably isn't convincing anyone that Kutcher is ready to star in a new hit film it's always a dilemma when someone you know is accused of a serious crime and that goes double for a superstar like Ashton Kutcher it can be natural to want to defend a friend but how far is too far when the allegations are serious as they were with Kutcher's former co-star Danny Masterson masteron was put on trial in 2023 for three counts of rape that took place in the early 2000s while many in the industry who knew masteron personally remained mum Kutcher and munis decided to speak out but rather than make a statement about how the allegations were shocking given their personal history with Masterson Kutcher and Kunis went further the couple wrote letters to the judge to defend masteron and protect him from more serious punishment in those letters the two actors called masteron a role model and a reliable source of guidance the outrage among the general public was Swift and fierce especially since news of the letters came out after masteron had been convicted in response to the outcry the duo tried to backtrack and issued an apology the letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system they were intended for the judge to reap and we're sorry Masterson meanwhile received a sentence of 30 Years to Life we've seen firsthand during the 2023 sag after strike how a lack of promotion by a film stars can kill a movie's box office potential but even when things are going well a bad press tour can be just as damaging as no press tour that said Ashton Kutcher has a strange track record of awkward promotional appearances and interviews even when journalists aren't pressing him about his offset controversies in 2021 Kutcher and his wife munis sat down with Dak Shepard's armchair expert podcast C on the show the couple revealed that they don't believe in regularly washing their children or themselves Kutcher said if you can see the dirt on them clean them otherwise there's no point as for his own body Kutcher claimed he only ever washes his armpits and crotch equally as bad was Ker's promotion of your place or mine while appearing on the red carpet with co-star ree Witherspoon Kutcher took part in a series of uncomfortable and awkward photos in the aftermath the Press seemed more interested in the cringeworthy pictures than the movie itself Kutcher attempted to blame the situation on his autoimmune disorder and also claimed he didn't want to appear like he was having an affair with his co-star but according to Entertainment Weekly even the actor's wife told him you got to act like you like each other Reese and I really good friends looking back over Kutcher's Career One Thing stands out he's never done a sequel in 2023 he made a small cameo in that 90 show marking the first time he'd ever reprised a previous role however M launis revealed that she had to force him to do it and it's not just a matter of coincidence that Kutcher hasn't done sequels in the early 2000s after the butterfly effect became an unexpected hit a sequel was quickly greenlit however Kutcher was nowhere to be found without him The Butterfly Effect 2 became a direct to DVD Affair as did The Butterfly Effect 3 Revelations the same thing happened with Kutcher's 2006 animated smash Open Season which had two sequels that went direct to DVD in the US but the biggest mark on his non-sequel resume is his apparent refusal to return for a followup to Dude Where's My Car over the years producers have been trying to get a sequel up and running but Kutcher has said no to the idea time and time again co-star Shan Williams Scott meanwhile has been trying to Garner support for a second film but so far Ker's hold out has left the film in limbo for more than two decades and with an apparent reluctance to do sequels Studios may be leery to sign him up for films that could potentially spark a franchise if you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault help is available visit the rape abuse and incest National Network website or contact rain's National helpline at 1 1800 656 hope 4673

Channel: Looper

Views: 21,208

Keywords: looper, ashton kutcher, actor, celeb, thats 70s show

Id: O0rYGOYGwx0

Length: 18min 31sec (1111 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 24 2024