7 Questions with Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher is such a pro. He knows that all anyone wants to hear about is his marriage to Demi Moore, so whenever he does press, he answers those questions. He begins with a resigned sigh, like he'd rather talk about his work, but he does his duty. Kutcher produces the new game show Opportunity Knocks, where a crew sets up a game show for regular families in their neighborhood. They quiz brothers on where their sister keeps her diary and forcing fathers to recognize the ash trays their kids made for them in art class. That's pretty juicy stuff, but nothing that's a major invasion of privacy. They don't actually read the diary aloud, and junior would get over having his ash tray smashed by an oblivious dad.
Zimbio: How did you come up with clever games and questions that remain kind of fun and harmless? Like there's no major psychological damage involved.
Ashton Kutcher: Look, we're not burning anybody's house down but at the same time, I think you have to push the boundaries of people's comfort zones. It's fun for us. It's fun to sort of build that drama but I don't think on this show we step over those boundaries too far. This show is not really about breaking up families. It's about bringing them together.
Zimbio: So not like Moment of Truth where you get points for revealing horrible secrets?
Ashton Kutcher: I think if you can succeed without hurting people, that's always better. I believe that you always have to have compassion before you have judgment and any time you have judgment without compassion, it will fall apart. You might get a big pop really quick, but eventually that energy will dissolve. So we always try to instill some universal compassion into the shows that we do. We pushed the edge with Punk'd, our first show, and really went for all the bang. In this show and Beauty and the Geek, I think that the heart of the show to us is just as important. I think you can make entertainment without being destructive and that's what this show is about.
Zimbio: But wouldn't it be great TV if people freaked out and started fighting?
Zimbio: How would you do on Opportunity Knocks?
Ashton Kutcher: I don't know that I would do too well. I gotta be honest. It depends. It would really depend on the questions. There are some things that I feel like I would know a lot about. I'm not very good with dates. It takes me 20 minutes to remember my anniversary if it's not for a game. "What is it,
the 28th, 9th?" It's like that. If I got the right questions, I'd do well. There are certain things that I just don't know but actually, since making the show, it really has encouraged me to make a greater effort to learn more about the people that I spend every single day with. You'd be shocked how there's little things that you just don't know. It's humiliating but it's cleansing when you realize how much you don't know. I started playing with that idea with my family, with my girls, birthdays and anniversaries. If somebody came and asked me what kind of perfume my wife wears every single day, could I tell that it's Tuberose? Could I tell you it's Tuberose if there's a new car on the line? Who's Tallulah's favorite band? I would play for like two bucks at the dinner table with the girls and with Demi and we all had a blast with it.Zimbio: And how would Demi do?
Ashton Kutcher: She'd be genius. I actually think that in general, the moms on this show are going to do a lot better than everybody else in the family. I feel in general that women have more compassion than men and have more general awareness than men. I just feel like, I think my wife would dominate the show.
Zimbio: What game shows did you like watching as a kid?
Ashton Kutcher: I think this show has a strong influence from the Newlywed Game. I really liked that show when I was a kid. I like Family Feud and The Price is Right. Then what was the one with the tic tac toe thing? It wasn't Tic Tac Dough, it was Hollywood Squares.
Zimbio: You're an actor. Aren't you worried that creating more reality shows takes jobs away from actors?
Ashton Kutcher: I try to create jobs. Look at Punk'd we made and there were actors all over that. We actually created that show as a launching ground for young comedians. Have you ever sat at a dinner table and they set down the big cake that you really want, and you start watching people take the pieces and it starts dwindling down. You start to get a little worried. "Am I going to get my piece? Am I going to get my piece?" You have all this anxiety as to whether or not you're going to get your piece until you see the guy come out of the kitchen with another cake. Then it makes you go, "Oh, it's okay." I think that all those actors that are worried about reality TV taking away their money or their jobs, there's another cake coming. They'll be fine.Zimbio: Great metaphor!
Ashton Kutcher: People give me those. I have a book of those I just read from.
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