In 2011, Hollywood stars Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman sent sparks flying with their romantic comedy, No Strings Attached. The sizzling chemistry that the Star Wars actor and That 70s Show star shared on screen was lauded by most sections of audiences. While the film on the whole received mixed responses, it became a box office hit with a global collection of $149 million.
The two celebrities’ ease with each other on screen even during the intimate scenes was a big factor in the film touching a chord with people. Kutcher was all praise for his co-star Natalie Portman but confessed that sharing screen space with the talented Oscar winner was not a walk in the park for him.
Ashton Kutcher Was Intimidated By Natalie Portman
In No Strings Attached, Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman starred as two childhood friends who enter into a “friends with benefits” relationship before one of them starts developing feelings for the other. The chemistry that the Black Swan star and the Just Married actor shared was a significant reason for the success of the film. But Kutcher confessed that Portman’s abundant talent intimidated him many times on set. Speaking of the effort to keep up and do justice alongside his co-star, Kutcher said,
“She’s probably one of the best actresses of my generation. I believe she is and there’s a blessing and a curse in that as an actor. Because… you know everything you get across from you is going to be real and honest and reactive and beautiful, at the same time when the light shines in the dark room, all the dust shows, and so it was a challenge for me to be as honest as she is.”
Kutcher added that Portman’s ability to seamlessly perform in different genres and make each character her own, made the Marvel star stand apart from the rest of her competitors.
Ashton Kutcher Supported Natalie Portman On Pay Discrepancy
Despite Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman being equal contemporaries in Hollywood with impressive filmographies under their belts, the Oscar winning star was paid just a third of Kutcher’s salary for their film No Strings Attached. This significant discrepancy in pay led to Portman vocalizing her displeasure in public on behalf of all her female contemporaries. Spouting statistics that showed this unfair advantage to male actors, Portman said,
“I knew and I went along with it because there’s this thing with ‘quotes’ in Hollywood. His [quote] was three times higher than mine, so they said he should get three times more. I wasn’t as pissed as I should have been. Compared to men, in most professions, women make 80 cents to the dollar. In Hollywood, we are making 30 cents to the dollar.”
Following Portman’s revelation, her co-star Ashton Kutcher immediately stood up in support and praised his colleague for bringing to light this disturbing pay gap based on gender. The Killers actor hoped that a tangible change would take place in the industry that would put women front and center in the pay scale.
Source: Collider
