Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet, who co-star in the charming romantic comedy A Lot Like Love, may not actually be in love: Ashton‘s much-monitored romance with Demi Moore is still going strong, while Amanda‘s love life is a little lower-profile.
They may not actually even like each other–hey, they’re actors–but it sure seemed a lot like “like” as the duo glided in and out of L.A.’s Four Seasons hotel. The actors greeted each other with warm Hollywood cheek kisses, fussed with each other’s clothing, rubbed each other’s backs and the gentlemanly Ashton even fetched ice water for Amanda without being asked (Demi‘s clearly got him well-trained).
As palpable as their chummy chemistry is off-screen, it’s even sexier and more romance-minded in the film, and Hollywood.com has their thoughts on everything from their steamy nude scene in the desert to sex in an airplane bathroom to their philosophies on relationships. And don’t miss the story how Ashton got a LOT like Punk’d by some snarky Secret Service agents!
We were told Ashton was instrumental in suggesting Amanda as his co-star. How’d that come about?
Ashton Kutcher: “We actually read an actress in L.A. and it was all right, [but] the chemistry wasn’t right. In searching for the right person, we wanted somebody who had the combination of the ability to play vulnerability and be vulnerable, but also funny. I’ve seen Amanda in a lot of her work–One film was The Whole Nine Yards, which she was really funny in. It’s rare that you find somebody that is beautiful, funny, and has an ability to be vulnerable, and Amanda has all those qualities, and it makes her brilliant.”
What’s your take on the love-at-first-sight concept?
Amanda Peet: “I personally don’t believe in love at first sight, but I definitely believe in chemistry and lust-at-first-sight. Maybe I’m just getting too old, but I think it’s something that takes work. As you see in the movie, timing is everything. Both people have to be ready to be open and that’s what the movies about.”
Was doing a nude scene just like another day on the set for you guys?
Kutcher: “I like being nude as often as I can get nude.”
Peet: “I like being nude, too.”
Kutcher: “I always try to be nude. No, I was really frightened of it and not really a fan of it. For other people, I liked them being nude, but not for me so much. It’s almost like you’re in this awkward body that you have to live in and then it’s completely exposed. I had a banana hammock going on. Those are really fun: it’s like a thong with a catcher’s mitt. It was a little awkward…I think we were both so insecure about ourselves that we weren’t busy looking at anybody else. We were on a stage–not actually outside–so that helped.”
What made you want to play your character, Oliver, who feels has to accomplish so much before he can handle a relationship?
Kutcher: “The appeal of Oliver is that he’s relatable. Guys in general feel like they have to attain this certain personal status in their mind before they can be in a relationship: ‘I’m not who I am yet, I’m going to be who I am as soon as I get this, this and this, and then I wont have to worry about trading up.’ As a guy, you think about ‘Okay, I’m at this level in my life, so I can get this kind of girl, and when I get here I’m going to have to trade up, so why even go through it, just wait until I get there.’ The truth is that you’re never there, but you’re always there…And you create this illusion that you can’t possibly have both: If I’m investing this amount of time to do this, there’s not enough hours to do this as well. You ultimately find out, if you do that, all of this is going to fall apart because you need to have that balance. I definitely think with my career did that and was unkind to people as a result. I don’t think I was fair to people and made really poor judgments in a lot of things when driving for this career goal could exist and coincide with my personal life.”
Amanda, is there a phase of your character Emily’s life that you could most relate to?
Peet: “I grew up in New York and I went through a kind-of Goth phase. I definitely had the black shoes, downtown, hipster, artsy person and I was really excited in high school and did my homework and I went to college and was pretty normal. But I never really identified with her ‘I’m a special, artsy tough girl.'”
But not her experiences as a struggling actress?
How are you about making the first move with a girl?
Kutcher: “I’m not like a move guy. I don’t even know if I know the moves to make the first move. I’m pretty shy about that initial conversation. I’m not really good at it.”
What about rules with guys when you’re dating someone?
Peet: “I try not to spend too much trying to think about ‘Why he didn’t call?’ or ‘Don’t go to second base on the first date.’ I don’t think you should plan too much. I think the younger you are, the more interested you are in a person’s persona and who are afraid to be vulnerable and afraid of people like Ashton‘s character that are vulnerable, honest and direct. They prefer something that’s harder to get, but I think what was so great about the movie was how she was so combative and pretentious in the beginning and she lets him see herself. This is like a classic romantic comedy. This is what we were trying to achieve.”
Any real-life experience with sex in an airplane bathroom?
Kutcher: “I’ve done it in another movie. For some reason people fancy me having sex in toilets, so I was really comfortable with that. I tried it once, but I didn’t even get into the restroom because I was flying on a plane with somebody and as soon as I got up and went over to the bathroom, it was weird trying to get two people in there, because there was like a moron convention going on around the bathroom door. There was never an opportune moment we were like ‘Everybody go to sleep on the plane!’ But people wouldn’t go to sleep. I was stuck and it’s really awkward.”
What’s the difference between “love” and “a lot like love?” And which applies to you?
Kutcher: “That’s a difficult question because I’m somewhat of a love cynic because I’m not really sure if its 100% attainable like everyday in the human form. To me love is when your desire for somebody else is greater than the desire for yourself or equal to that. That’s a very tricky thing to attain. And I think A Lot Like Love is what most of us call love.
Peet:: “I think the idea of the movie is that it is real love, and it is from the get-go. And you can talk around it or dance around it or say the timing isn’t right but if it’s there, it’s there. And that’s what the movie is about.”
Ashton, we’ve heard a story that you were Punk’d by the Democratic Vice Presidental candidate, John Edwards, on the campaign trail last fall. Is it true?
Kutcher: “It sorta was and it sorta wasn’t because it was REAL! I was campaigning in Minnesota and we were flying to Iowa and I was riding on this Air Force One plane with all the press. And as we were getting out of the plane they were very strict and serious. One of the Secret Service guys came up and said ‘There’s a gray bag – Is it yours?’ I said ‘Yes,’ and he said ‘Are you carrying a firearm? Because there’s a firearm in the bag.’ And then he asked ‘Has it been in your possession at all times?’ and I said ‘Actually, no, because I was speaking at the last engagement and it was in a car.’ He was like ‘You weren’t hunting or anything?’ He says ‘We have to detonate the bag,’ and I was like ‘Are you kidding?’ I said ‘Go ahead, because I don’t want it on the plane either!’ And they said ‘Oh, you just got Punk’d.‘ I thought that wasn’t even fair because they’re actual Secret Service: you’re not an actor, so it doesn’t count. They had a hodge-podge video in the back that I’m trying to confiscate.”
Is Amanda on the Punk’d hit list?
Kutcher: “Absolutely.”
[Amanda makes a terrified face]
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for love?
Peet: “It’s more that I try to insinuate myself or make a move at the wrong time. It’s not that I’ve done something, but I’ve gone up to them and made the move when it wasn’t the right moment – like in front of another woman. So I’ve made an ass of myself because of timing. Oy.”
Kutcher: “Did you just say ‘Oy?’ Oy, have I done some things! I don’t think anything’s ever been crazy or absurd, that’s just a general P.O.V. I think I’ve put forth some great effort in certain situations, but I wouldn’t call it absurd because I think those are some of the greatest things we get to do in life. For me, the craziest thing was when I was in Canada shooting a film and started a relationship with someone long-distance back in the States, and I flew in to L.A. for 30 minutes to see a person, flew back because I had that time window. And they weren’t there, and showed up with 15 minutes to go. And then I was gone.”
A Lot Like Love opens in theaters April 22.
