How old the stars of 'That '70s Show' were compared to their characters' ages
Olivia Singh
- "That '70s Show" premiered on Fox in August 1998 and ended in May 2006 after eight seasons.
- The sitcom centered on a group of teens living in Point Place, Wisconsin during the 1970s.
Topher Grace starred as Eric Forman, a teen from Point Place, Wisconsin.
Eric, the leader of his friend group, turned 17 on season one, episode two ("Eric's Birthday").
Grace was 20 years old when the sitcom premiered.
"That '70s Show" was the first project Grace ever auditioned for. He was 19 at the time and dropped out of USC to star on the sitcom.
Laura Prepon played Donna Pinciotti, Eric's childhood friend who was older than him by a month.
Donna lived next door.
Prepon was 18 at the start of season one.
Similar to Grace, "That '70s Show" was Prepon's breakout project.
Mila Kunis portrayed Jackie Burkhart, a rich and bossy girl who was younger than the rest of the gang.
She only became part of Eric's group through her relationship with Kelso.
Kunis, then 15, famously lied about her age during the audition process.
Kunis was 14 when she auditioned for "That '70s Show" but lied by omission, saying she would be turning 18 without specifying when. The actor got caught when the time came for her to sign the official paperwork for the show.
"In my contract, I had to put an asterisk for 'studio teacher,'" Kunis told Vanity Fair in 2022. "They were like, 'What do you mean?' And I was like, 'Oh P.S., I'm 14.'"
Kunis said that the show's creators, Bonnie and Terry Turner were nice about it and said, "We loved you at that point so what did we care?"
"It was in the heyday of older kids playing younger kids and I was actually of the age of the character," she added. "I wasn't intimidated. I had a solid ego."
Ashton Kutcher played another teen named Michael Kelso, more commonly referred to as Kelso.
He wasn't the wisest person in his friend group.
Kutcher was 20, just a few years older than his character.
He met his now-wife Kunis through their roles on the show. They've been married since 2015 and have two kids, a daughter named Wyatt and a son named Dimitri.
Danny Masterson played Steven Hyde, known as Hyde, the group's rebel.
Hyde was Eric's best friend who constantly spoke about his disdain for the government.
At 22, Masterson was the oldest of the core group of actors.
Masterson's acting career began with commercials. By the time he landed a role on "That '70s Show," the actor had already starred in movies like "Beethoven's 2nd" and "Face/Off."
In May 2023, a Los Angeles jury found Masterson guilty of two counts of rape. He faces up to 30 years in prison with a sentencing date set for September 7.
Wilmer Valderrama starred as Fez, a foreign-exchange student at Point Place High School.
Fez loved candy.
Valderrama was 18 at the beginning of the series.
"That '70s Show" marked Valderrama's TV debut. He made his first film appearance a few years later in the 2001 movie "Summer Catch."
Lisa Robin Kelly played Eric's older sister named Laurie.
Laurie was specified as being 20 years old in season two.
Kelly was 28 years old in real life.
Prior to "That '70s Show," Kelly had appeared on a plethora of TV shows, including "Married.... With Children," "Murphy Brown," "The X-Files," and "Days of Our Lives."
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