The lengths some celebrity gossip fans are willing to go can be ruthless, and Ashton Kutcher knows that when it comes to personal space, it’s better to play it safe than be sorry.
The actor and his Your Place or Mine co-star Reese Witherspoon were captured on the red carpet during the film’s official premiere, and the internet used the moment to express wonder at the body language exhibited by the pair in their paparazzi photos.
RELATED: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Making a Rom-Com For Netflix, Says Source
Fans wondered aloud on various social media outlets. Was it a case of too close for comfort? Or a secret message to movie watchers that these two were more enemies than friends?
Kutcher took matters into his own hands by responding to the swirling fan theories during a guest appearance on the Chicks in the Office podcast.
“If I put my arm around her and was, like, all friendly with her, I’d be having an affair with her,” the Punk’d producer explained. It seems he wasn’t in the mood to joke about extramarital affairs that day, so by just standing next to her and putting his pockets, “There’s no chance that, like, that could be the rumor,” he elaborated.
However, it seems the body stance strategy backfired on him based on the fan commentary that followed.
“The rumor is we don’t like each other,” he added during the podcast, before ensuring listeners that he and Witherspoon are “really good friends” and that they are “really close” but he didn’t feel the need to explain further.
Kutcher had nothing to worry about however, at least according Mila Kunis, his former That 70s Show co-star and current wife of eight years. His better-half apparently saw the photos and literally called out Kutcher in an attempt to help the costars look less severe.
“My wife called me,” Kutcher explained further. “She texted Reese and I together and said, ‘Guys, you gotta, like, act like you like each other.’”
The No Strings Attached star admitted it was only in that moment that he realized how bizarre his body language may have been — and that it’s also how he found out the photos were going viral.
“She even emailed us,” Witherspoon stated, sharing her side of the story during an interview on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna.
“She goes, ‘You guys look so awkward on the red carpet together,’” Witherspoon elaborated, while adding how fun it was getting to know the “significant other” of one of her besties, “’cause I’ve loved her for so long.”
Kutcher and Kunis are known for their super strong marital bond, as well as being “couple goals” for their down-to-earth behavior and sweet dating anecdotes. And fans knew that in their response to his…response.
Some didn’t totally buy Kutcher’s reasoning, using the super intimate red carpet behavior exhibited by Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac during their Scenes from a Marriage premiere back in 2021 —and are speculating about their on-screen chemistry, or possible lack thereof.
Guess we will all have to watch the movie to find out for sure! Your Place or Mine is available for streaming on Netflix from Feb. 10, 2023.
