A LOT LIKE LOVE
Q&A with Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet		 Search all of phase9.tv






Movie Interview by Elaine Lipworth

The path to true love is anything but smooth for the two stars of A LOT LIKE LOVE, an enchanting romantic comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet. They meet on a plane, say goodbye at the airport and go their own way. But are they destined to be together? It takes seven years for them to discover whether they are in love or just good friends.

Sparks fly and passions soar on a cross-country plane trip from LA to New York. But is it love at first ‘flight’ or a one ‘flight’ stand for Ashton and Amanda?

Ashton Kutcher is one of Hollywood’s hottest stars. He’s cool, handsome and immensely talented, with a gift for comedy. However, he is anything but cool in A LOT LIKE LOVE. His character, Oliver is young, unsophisticated and shy – at least at the start of the movie. He is seduced by a stunning young woman called Emily, played by Amanda Peet and he is swept off his feet. The only problem? She does not appear to feel the same way.

It is a funny and compelling romantic comedy that tells the story of two very different people who certainly have great chemistry but don’t appear to have much in common. She is wild, sexy and sure of herself. He is insecure but has big dreams of becoming a business tycoon.

A LOT LIKE LOVE is written by Colin Patrick Lynch and directed by Nigel Cole, an acclaimed British filmmaker who had hits with SAVING GRACE and CALENDAR GIRLS. He brings subtlety and intelligence to the film, using an old fashioned comic recipe with wonderful results. While it is a traditional comedy however, the characters and the setting are youthful and contemporary. Despite their differences, Emily and Oliver cannot seem to live without each other. Fate brings them together at the outset. The question is – have they found true love and are they destined to be together in the long run?

At 27, Ashton Kutcher has already made a name for himself in the hit American TV show, THAT 70s SHOW. He recently starred in GUESS WHO. His other films include THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN and JUST MARRIED. He was born in a small town in Iowa and grew up on a farm. Discovered by a local talent scout, he moved to New York to pursue acting. He lives in Los Angeles with actress Demi Moore.

Amanda Peet, 32, starred opposite Bruce Willis in THE WHOLE NINE YARDS. She appeared in the hit comedy SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton and is starring in the new Woody Allen film, MELINDA AND MELINDA.

The following interview with both stars was conducted in Los Angeles. Ashton was wearing a maroon tee shirt under a black, pinstriped shirt. Amanda wore cream pants with a sheer silky brown patterned top by Jean Paul Gaultier, her hair swept up off her face.


What kind of person is your character, Oliver?

ASHTON: The appeal of Oliver is that it is easy to relate to him. There are so many men like him who often feel like they have to achieve a certain status in the world before they can have a successful relationship. Oliver feels that he needs to be financially secure before he can get involved with anyone. He tells himself, ‘I am not cool yet but I will be when I have this and that…. a lucrative business and a house. Then I will be OK.’ He is the kind of guy who thinks ‘right now I am not at a high level in my life, so I can get a certain type of girl, but when I get further up the ladder and have progressed with my career, I will be able to ‘trade up’ to a different type of girl. He has his own set of rules. So he tells himself not to have a relationship until he gets to where he wants to be in life. The truth is that you are never actually there. But at the same time you are always there, wherever ‘there’ is. It is a journey. I think people will really identify with him.

Do you set yourself very high standards too?

ASHTON: Yes, that is why I can relate to him so well. I constantly set standards for myself and goals and create an illusion that I cannot have both (a relationship and career). But you find out that you have to have a balance in life. I used to do the same thing as Oliver in terms of my career, for sure. I was ambitious and I was unkind to people as a result. I do not think I was fair to people a lot of the time and I made really poor judgments because I was so driven and needed to succeed as an actor.

When you were a little boy growing up in Iowa, did you ever dream that you would be as successful and famous as you have become?

ASHTON: No I didn’t. It is weird. Every time I have a successful movie or TV show it is amazing, like a dream come true for me. And when dreams come true more than once, we start to call the dreams realities. Now it has become much easier because I don’t need to drive myself crazy anymore. But it was a dream, what I am doing now with my career never seemed as though it would be possible when I was younger. I would also think to myself: ‘why would anyone be interested in me or what I have to say?’ I would go to parties and feel like the butler when I was growing up, as though I did not belong. So now that I feel like I am invited to the party for who I am, it is completely different, it is great.

The director of A LOT LIKE LOVE, Nigel Cole, compares you to Cary Grant. Is that thrilling for you?

ASHTON: It is a great compliment. I appreciate it and it is so great because it is like the captain of your ship saying that you have sailed well. I cannot thank him enough for saying something so kind. It is hard for me to comment of course, because I cannot take an outside, objective perspective on my career and my life. I don’t know what direction I will go take in the future, whether I will move do drama as well as comedy. Certain people will always try to compartmentalize you by saying things like ‘Oh he’s only good at comedy’ or ‘he is still doing the same funny character as before’. People always try to categorize you.

How did you and Nigel choose Amanda for this film?

ASHTON: We were looking for someone who had the right combination that we needed for this relationship and story to work. We wanted an actress with the ability to be vulnerable but also to be funny. I’d seen Amanda in various films and she’s really funny. It’s rare that you find someone who’s beautiful and funny and Amanda has all those qualities and that makes her brilliant.

Amanda, your character Emily has a definite New York look and style at the start of the movie, did you ever dress like her?

AMANDA: I grew up in New York and I went through a big ‘Goth’ phase wearing black. I definitely fancied myself to be a downtown hipster arty type of person. I was actually a prude in high school, I did my homework and went to college and worked hard and was pretty normal. But I definitely identified with Emily and how she saw herself as artistic and tough.

What was it like having a nude scene in the desert, was it difficult for you?

ASHTON: I like being nude as often as possible. [Laughs]

AMANDA: I like you being nude too. [Laugh]

ASHTON: No I was actually really frightened of it. For other people it is OK. I like them being nude, but I don’t like to be naked very much on screen myself. It means being completely exposed, which is hard. I had a ‘banana hammock’ on, which is a really exciting garment to wear, it is like a thong with a (baseball) catcher’s mitt attached to it. [Laughs]. It is a little awkward to wear. I think we were both so insecure about taking off our clothes though, that we were not looking at anybody else to see their reactions. We were on a stage. We were not actually outside, so I think that helped.

Continued on page 2


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