The latest romantic comedy pairing to sweep us off our feet just in time for Valentine’s Day are Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher fof Netflix’s Your Place Or Mine. But the on-screen couple didn’t exactly sell their chemistry in real life when they posed for red carpet photos that the Internet found to be super awkward. (Even Kutcher’s wife, Mila Kunis, called him out on it!) Following the photos going viral, the actor shared a very reasonable explanation for why he didn’t look the most comfortable during the photos.
Ashton Kutcher was asked about the awkward red carpet photos while on the Chicks In The Office (opens in new tab) podcast and got honest about why he didn’t look like he was having the time of his life in those recent press photos alongside his co-star. He also set record straight on the state of his relationship with his co-star, Reese Witherspoon. In his words:
Reese and I are very good friends. We’re very close. I don’t have to defend it. … I can’t hear very well. I’m hard of hearing in one ear and I can only hear out of the other. I don’t know who’s yelling out my name, but I know that there’s a lot of people yelling ‘Reese, Ashton over here!’ Look at this one, look at that one. And at a certain point you’re looking and you’re like, ‘God, this is really something.’ OK, which one? Look at the camera, got it, OK. We done? Awesome, for like 20 minutes.
As the star pointed out, a red carpet is not exactly the most calming setting in which to smile wide for a photo. Numerous photographers are essentially yelling your name to look one way all at the same time, and Ashton Kutcher can’t hear as well as he used to. So it was perhaps even more frustrating. As the actor continued:
If you’re gonna tell me in that entire 20-minute period at one point you’re not going to have an awkward face on, then you’re better than I am, and I’m cool with that.
He also pointed out that if he was too cozy with the actress in the photos, he’d inevitably spark affair rumors, so there really was no winning there for him. Obviously, celebrities find themselves on red carpets all the time and often just have to deal with the chaotic atmosphere for a good photo, but the That ’70s Show alum’s answer speaks to how odd it inherently is.
Ashton Kutcher has most certainly been on a ton of red carpets throughout his career, but he has been greatly out of the groove in recent years. This is mostly due to a 2019 medical episode where he was diagnosed with a rare form of vasculitis and had to take a break to recover. The actor lost his vision, hearing and equilibrium and had to work for about a year to get back to working order. As the actor has recently shared, there was a time when he thought his acting career might be over, but he was able to overcome it and seems to be doing well now.
And despite those awkward red carpet photos, Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon really did get personal for Your Place Or Mine, by doing video chats with each other daily ahead of filming to prepare to play longtime and long-distance best friends. Your Place Or Mine, which has received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, is now streamable using a Netflix subscription. You can certainly decide for yourself if the latest romantic comedy pairing are cute together in the movie or have the energy present within those red carpet photos.