Ashton Kutcher Says He Has Struggled Landing Certain Roles Due To ‘His Looks’

At Recent York Comic Con, Ashton Kutcher got candid about how his attractiveness have affected his acting profession.

The movie star admitted that it has been frustrating not with the ability to land “down-on-your-luck” roles, but noted that, as a producer, he understands why the looks of an actor matter.

Within the upcoming FX series “The Beauty,” Ashton Kutcher plays a morally complex character, a task that he claims has been his most transformative to this point.

Speaking at Recent York Comic Con on October 11 during a panel for his upcoming FX series “The Beauty,” Kutcher revealed that his looks have sometimes worked against him in Hollywood, costing him several roles through the years.

The discussion, moderated by show creator Ryan Murphy, also featured Evan Peters, Anthony Ramos, Jeremy Pope, and Rebecca Hall.

When Murphy asked about his experience playing a “hilarious supervillain” within the series, Kutcher reflected on the impact of appearance in casting decisions.

“I believe every role you get, a part of it’s what you appear to be, right?” he said, per People Magazine. “It’s a really big a part of what you are imbuing because the character. And so, there are roles that I’ve gotten due to the way in which I look, and there are roles that I have not gotten due to the way in which I look.”

Kutcher admitted that while “it’s frustrating” to be missed for more rugged or “down-on-your-luck” roles, his experience as a producer helped him understand why those decisions are made.

“You are attempting to tell a story with pictures, and the images have to create a sense for the audience,” he explained.

Kutcher shared that “The Beauty” has given him one among his most transformative acting experiences of his profession.

“Without making a gift of an excessive amount of, almost every one among us has an incredibly nuanced role where, in a roundabout way, shape or form, we’re playing something that we’re or we aren’t at any given time,” he said. “It creates this underlying ability to embody insecurities that you might have, that you simply hide away and also you push down, and you do not let anyone on the planet see it.”

The “That ’70s Show” star praised Murphy for giving him a task that pushes boundaries, saying: “So often today, you simply get to play your lane and nothing else, because playing the rest goes against the values that society has projected upon what people should play and should not play.”

Kutcher added, “We get to play these complicated, nuanced characters. It is a delight. Playing this character is one among the good delights of my profession.”

Offering a deeper look into his role, Kutcher described his “The Beauty” character as someone with good intentions, even when his actions is perhaps questionable.

“I believe he’s guy. I mean, you will have to learn early that you could’t ever judge your character, because you will have people who find themselves doing things, irrespective of how unfair it’s. They think they’re doing the best thing,” he explained.

The actor noted that his character questions society’s long-standing judgment around cosmetic enhancement.

“This character looks at it, and he goes, ‘Wait, there’s a whole lot of judgment around cosmetic aesthetic improvement on the planet. Loads of people judge it.’ And progressively over time, individuals are judging it less,” he said.

Kutcher stated that his latest show uses this hypocrisy to explore how society’s perception of beauty continues to evolve.

“People can go to the dentist and get braces and fix their teeth. There is no judgment over that … but then the minute someone gets rhinoplasty, it’s like, ‘you probably did what?'” he asked, adding, “Why is it okay to make our teeth higher but not our face higher, or our nose higher?”

Kutcher continued: “That layer of judgment over aesthetic enhancement is progressively beginning to be chipped away at,” he said, hinting that this moral gray area drives the creation of the show’s fictional beautifying drug.

Hinting at the moral complexity of his character’s work, Kutcher noted, “And other people want it. Why is that bad? It’s bad because perhaps you didn’t tell people they’re gonna explode, however it shouldn’t be an issue, because I fixed that, too, with the boosters. It’s an amazing gig and an amazing deal for everybody.”

“The Beauty,” created by Ryan Murphy and Matthew Hodgson, is tailored from the acclaimed comic book series of the identical name.

In keeping with the official synopsis, the FX series follows partners Drew Foster and Kara Vaughn as they investigate a mysterious sexually transmitted disease generally known as “The Beauty.”

The disease grants flawless physical appearance but carries deadly consequences. As they dig deeper, the duo must navigate corruption, cover-ups, and a ruthless mercenary determined to maintain the reality buried.

Set to premiere on Hulu in 2026, “The Beauty” features Kutcher not only in a starring role but additionally as an executive producer.