Ashton Kutcher spoke to Page Six about playing the villain in Ryan Murphy’s new film The Beauty.
“It’s really fun,” the actor told Us at the premiere of the new series in New York earlier this week.
Kutcher plays Byron Fost, a tech billionaire connected to “The Beauty,” a treatment for sexually transmitted diseases that gives users beauty, but unfortunately has some pretty nasty side effects.
“I learned a long time ago that you can’t judge your own character, so you have to figure out why that person justifies what they’re doing,” the “That ’70s Show” star explained of Forst’s nefarious nature.
“And the kind of psychological challenge of thinking about how to justify these actions was really fun.”
The Two and a Half Men star, 47, went on to say that his character is like many immoral people.
FX
“For example, you can see that he does these things and doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with them,” he explained. “That’s probably what most people who do horrible things (as well) have that sensitivity.”
Kutcher, who started her career as a model, said society’s obsession with appearance and cosmetic surgery has changed dramatically in recent years.
“Now, like Sephora and Ulta, they’re targeting teenagers and kids who have perfect skin but still want to look great…and I think that’s our world, right?” he opined.
He also lamented the negative effects of social media on today’s society, saying, “Everyone lives their lives online, they live their lives in public, and I think everyone is being judged by people who don’t even know them, don’t know what they’re going through, don’t know what they’re thinking.
“It’s like going to middle school and not dropping out,” he added. “I think it gets far more attention than it deserves today.”
Other celebs who attended the lavish premiere included Kutcher’s “Beauty” co-star Isabella Rossellini, Jeremy Pope, Bella Hadid, Evan Peters, Anthony Ramos and Rebecca Hall.
“The Beauty” premieres on FX on January 21st at 9pm ET.
