Chris
was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, just minutes ahead of his fraternal twin
brother, Michael. As a child growing up
in Iowa, Chris lived on a farm with his brother, older sister, and
factory-working parents enjoying the country lifestyle of an average midwestern
youngster. However, his carefree youth
took a melancholy turn when his brother Michael was diagnosed with cerebral
palsy and began suffering from recurring heart problems as well.
As
they got older, Chris found the constant downswings in his brother’s health to
be stressful and difficult. He often
stayed away from the house in order to avoid hearing more bad news, and closed
himself off emotionally. This didn’t stop him from acting like a brother. At school, Michael was the kid with coke
bottle glasses and a hearing aid, which initially led to teasing and cruel
treatment from other students. Popular
and protective, Chris quickly put an end to such behavior, and made sure that
neither his brother, nor any of the other kids, was bullied.
When
the brothers were thirteen, Michael developed a heart condition called
cardiomyopathy, a virus-related illness affecting his heart muscle. An emergency heart transplant was the only
thing that could save him, and the prognosis looked grim. Distraught, Chris actually considered jumping
off a hospital balcony to his own death, in order to save Michael's life with
the donation of his healthy heart.
Fortunately, before he could act, a group of doctors rushed in with the
news that a donor heart had been found and was on the way. The transplant was a success.
As
a young teenager, Chris kept himself busy.
His first job was with his father, carrying shingles up to
rooftops. He treated each job as a
stepping stone to the next, from washing dishes to working in a grocery store
deli to sweeping up at a cereal factory, and he never left one job until he
secured the next. He also played sports
and ventured into acting, appearing in a number of high school plays.
In
college, Chris held down a variety of odd jobs, even selling blood to get
by. So, when a talent scout offered him
an invitation to enter a regional modeling contest, he had nothing to
lose. He entered and won. Chris believed strongly in hard work, but
also in seizing opportunities. He left
school and entered an international modeling competition, and although he
didn’t win, he did succeed in signing a contract with a prestigious New York
agency. Appearing in a number of high
profile ads for the likes of Calvin Klein, Versace, and Abercrombie &
Fitch, Chris felt certain that trying his hand at acting professionally was the
next logical step.
In
Hollywood, Chris got right to work. One
of his first auditions was for a role at NBC, where he was told that he wasn’t
right, but was invited instead to read for a new pilot called “Wind On Water”
about a cowboy surfer. Chris was unsure
about the concept, but before turning it down, he auditioned at another studio
for a different pilot called “Teenage Wasteland.” He took a risk and told the casting director
that he needed to know by 3:45 that day if he’d gotten the role, because NBC
was expecting his decision about their show by 4:00. The gamble worked, and he was hired as part
of the cast of “Teenage Wasteland,” a sitcom that would become a huge hit
during its seven year run… that is, after it was re-named, “That 70s Show.”
Christopher
“Ashton” Kutcher may have gotten famous playing a stereotypical lunkhead, but
he has displayed intelligence and maturity since attaining stardom. Besides acting in numerous blockbuster
movies, he has successfully created and produced several TV shows that
demonstrate his keen eye for edgy, watchable programming. He contributes financially and creatively to
a number of tech startups, and in 2009, he co-founded an international human
rights organization dedicated to ending the sexual exploitation of children.
After
receiving the “Ultimate Choice Award” at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards this
month, Ashton shared three beliefs he has about how to live your best life:
“One: Opportunity looks a lot like hard
work. Two: The sexiest things in the entire world are being really smart,
thoughtful, and generous. And three: Everything
that we call life was made up by people no smarter than you. So work hard to find your opportunities,
don’t follow someone else’s definition of life, build your own, and always be
sexy.”
Until next week...
Live Your Dreams
No comments:
Post a Comment