'70s Show Cast Talks Movies

Fox's sitcom "That '70s Show" is spawning six film careers. The show's stars -- Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama -- are either appearing in features or will have films due for release.

Most of the films that "That '70s Show" regulars are appearing in are aimed at the teen-age audience -- Kutcher recently starred in "Dude, Where's My Car?" and Masterson in "Dracula 2000." Grace plays a manipulative preppy in Steven Soderbergh's "Traffic."

Recently, the cast members, who range in age from 17 to 24, gathered to discuss their TV-to-movie transitions.

Q: Did you find the change difficult?

Mila Kunis: I personally did. I started auditioning for movies, and they kept thinking of me as that girl from "That '70s Show."

Laura Prepon: Actually, for me, it's kind of rough, because this is the first thing I have basically done. I was only sent scripts for the tough girl; when I auditioned, they always said I was too tough.

Q: Topher, you are almost unrecognizable in "Traffic." What was that experience like?

Grace: I just read once for Steven (Soderbergh). He had not seen ("That '70s Show") and that was probably in my favor. It was so great to go 180 degrees, to do something different.

Q: Danny, you've had the most experience.

Masterson: I started modeling when I was 4 and acting about a year later when I started doing commercials. I stopped modeling when I was about 14. I did "One Life to Live" for a little while and did two educational films and did "Jake and the Fatman." I moved to L.A. (from New York) to do "Beethoven's 2nd" when I was 16.

Q: (to Kutcher) Will there be a sequel to "Dude"?

Kutcher: They are talking about it. I want to keep doing different things. My first job was the show, then I did a movie, "Reindeer Games." I am co-producing my first movie right now, called "The Guest."

Q: Mila, you're still in high school, right?

Kunis: I am a senior and I go to public school. Last summer, I did "Get Over It." It was my first experience acting out of town by myself (in Toronto) without my parents.

Q: (to Valderrama) And what did you do last summer?

Wilmer Valderrama: I flew to North Carolina to do "Summer Catch." I play the second baseman. I had to go for three weeks of intense training in baseball with real ballplayers. It was awesome.

"That '70s Show" airs at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on Fox.