Ashton Kutcher is opening up about the awkward red carpet photos of him and Reese Witherspoon as they promoted their new Netflix rom-com, Your Place or Mine.
The 45-year-old That ‘70s Show alum and his costar, Witherspoon, 46, went viral recently when they looked uncomfortable next to each other at their film’s premiere.
During an appearance on the Chicks in the Office podcast on Monday, Kutcher said he looked standoffish in the photos because he didn’t want people to think there was something romantic going on between him and Witherspoon.
“Here’s the thing: If I put my arm around her and was, like, all friendly with her, I’d be having an affair with her,” he told the hosts.
However, he also admitted that it was a no-win situation, adding, “If I stand next to her and I put my hands in my pockets, so there’s no chance that, like, that could be the rumor, the rumor is we don’t like each other.”
He made it clear, though, that he and the Legally Blonde star didn’t hate each other and were, in fact, close friends.
Another factor that could have contributed to his awkward mien was the chaos on the red carpet as photographers screamed for his and Witherspoon’s attention, which he admitted could be exasperating.
“If you’re going to tell me in that entire 20 minutes, 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,” the Two and a Half Men star told the hosts.
Kutcher and Witherspoon attended the premiere of Your Place or Mine on February 2 in Los Angeles, and quickly went viral thanks to their seeming lack of chemistry on the red carpet. He mostly kept his hands in his pockets and she didn’t look too relaxed herself.
The photos looked so awkward that Kutcher’s wife, Mila Kunis, felt the need to call and text them to say, “Guys, you gotta act like you like each other.”
Your Place or Mine, in which Kutcher and Witherspoon play best friends who decide to swap homes, hits Neflix on February 10. Let’s all hope they have better chemistry onscreen.
