The name “Ashton Kutcher” doesn’t really evoke images of a put-together, thoughtful adult with some wisdom to pass on to the next generation. One is much more likely to recall the actor’s goofy roles in “Dude, Where’s My Car,” “That 70’s Show,” and, of course, the ever infamous “Punk’d.” Whether it is inherent in his nature or simply the luck of the casting call, Ashton Kutcher is known for comedic relief rather than serious talk. However, he broke out of that mold at the Teen Choice Awards on August 11, when he accepted the Ultimate Choice award and gave a lengthy, genuine speech with advice for the abounding amount of youths in the audience before him.
The actor, who is playing Steve Jobs in the upcoming “Jobs” film, addressed the audience with a thank you for the “old guy” award, and then proceeded to say that he “felt like a fraud.” He went on to say that his real name isn’t Ashton- his given first name is Chris. He then launched into a speech about “what [he] learned when [he] was Chris.” He covered three main topics in the speech; “opportunity,” “being sexy,” and “living life.”
While there were squeals from girls throughout the speech, Mr. Kutcher’s words had a heartfelt weight to them that allowed silence to fill the room for short periods of time. He discussed his life before becoming an actor, working minimum-wage jobs that he never considered himself “too good” for; rather, they were stepping stones for his next job, full of promising, new opportunities. Among some of the gems Kutcher offered, the two most prominent ones were, “The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart. And being thoughtful. And being generous. Everything else is crap!” and “opportunity looks a lot like work.”
The words were poignant for the young audience, and the writer of this article sincerely hopes that children and teens might find some inspiration in what the actor had to say. However, even if they didn’t happen to make an impact on the young audience, Kutcher’s words seemed to impress Rush Limbaugh, of all people, who spent about an hour of his radio show discussing the speech and heaping praise upon it. So, there’s that.
If you would like to watch the video for yourself, it is found below.