Unknown facts about the epic ‘That 70s Show’

It’s been 7 years since ‘That 70s Show’ ended, but it still looks like that the circle hasn’t been broken. With an impressive bunch of future TV and movie stars, ‘That 70s Show’ graced the TV for 8 seasons beginning in 1998. This classic TV show is still enjoyed today by millions. Here are some facts about the show we bet you didn’t know.

Ashton Kutcher was a model before auditioning: Ashton got the role of Kelso after playing naïve at his audition. Kutcher had never acted before and was a model.

Tropher Grace was discovered performing in a high school play: Co-creators Bonnie and Terry Turner were the parents of a cast member of a high school production of ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’. Their attention turned to the lead Tropher Grace (Eric Forman). The Turners asked him to audition the following year for ‘That 70s Show’ and he bagged it.

Mila Kunis lied about her age at her audition: Mila thought the creators won’t cast her if she tells her real age which was 14 then, told the makers that she was going to turn 18. Well it worked for her; Mila grabbed the role of Jackie.

Kunis’ first kiss was on the show, with Ashton: Who knew that Mila and Ashton would get married years after ‘That 70s Show’ got over. Mila Kunis’ first kiss was during the show and ironically with Kutcher. She also enjoyed some other firsts on the show with other members: Wilmer Valderrama taught her how to drive; Danny Masterson took her to a club for the first time and also became her prom date for the first time.

Masterson’s role in ‘The Faculty’ was cut short so he could shoot the pilot: All the actors were told about his character, Hyde, the deep theorist stoner type. Masterson figured out how to play his character by episode 4 or 5.

The original title for t he show was ‘Teenage Wasteland’: ‘The Who’ songwriter Pete Townshend refused to allow his lyric from ‘Baba O’Riley’ for the show; the same went for the propose title of ‘The Kids Are Alright’. After ‘Feelin’ All Right’ was presented as the name, Bonnie Turner realized that no matter what they call it, people should refer to it as ‘That 70s Show’.

The co-writer of the theme song was paid $70 every time the show was on TV: Singer Alex Chilton who co-wrote ‘In the Street’, which was covered in Season 1 by Todd Griffin. With the name of the show in mind, Chilton found the dollar amount ironic.

The smoke in the ‘Pot Circle’ scene was strawberry-scented: Laura Prepon, Ashton Kutcher and Masterson hid their lit cigarettes below the table before those scenes so that they could partake in their habit in between takes.

Later seasons of the show had band-themed episode titles: The show stayed true to the 70s culture by naming their episodes after songs by popular rock bands of the time. The fifth season titles are all from Led Zeppelin songs, the sixth season are all from ‘The Who’ songs, the seventh season are from ‘The Rolling Stones’ and the eighth seasons’ titles are from all ‘Queen’ songs.

There was a U.K remake of ‘That 70s Show’ called ‘Days Like These’ in 1999: It was the first time an American company produced both American and British versions of the same show. ‘Days Like These’ used the same scripts as ‘That 70s Show’ switching out American references with British ones like David Bowie replacing a Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders poster and Prince Charles visiting instead of President Gerald Ford. Only 10 episodes were aired.

Leo was written with Tommy Chong in mind: Tommy Chong, who played Leo, in the show was absent from the show from 2003-2004 while serving a jail sentence for selling drug paraphernalia. He expressed surprise later that this wasn’t written into the show’s storyline since it fit his character so well. Tommy was cellmates with Jordan Belfort who encouraged him to write his memoirs what later became the movie ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’.

Who was the real Fez?: Jackie (Mila Kunis) always makes fun of Fez in the show for being foreign. In real life, the actor who plays Fez, Wilmer Valderrama, was born in the USA while Kunis was born in USSR, in what is now Ukraine.

Fez, the ladies man: Fez was a lonely character on the show but Wilmer Valderrama had much better luck in his real life. He has dated various stars like Mandy Moore, Lindsay Lohan, Avril Lavigne, Ashlee Simpson and Demi Lovato.

Laurie Forman suffered a tragic end: Lisa Robin Kelly was taken off the show halfway through season 2, returning in the fifth season only to be replaced by actress Christina Moore. “I was guilty of a drinking problem,” Kelly said in 2012. Kelly passed away on August 13, 2013 after entering a rehabilitation suffering from multiple drug intoxication.