Movie may give Kutcher new image

Ashton Kutcher is known as many things ““ a star of
“That ’70s Show” and movies such as “Dude,
Where’s My Car?” and “Just Married,” the
host of “Punk’d,” the co-owner of celebrity hot
spot Dolce Enoteca and, of course, a tabloid darling thanks to his
relationship with Demi Moore.

But until now, he’s never been known as a dramatic actor.
Kutcher hopes to change that with the release of his new film,
“The Butterfly Effect.”

“The Butterfly Effect,” the debut film from
co-writers and directors Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber, is a
psychological thriller about Evan Treborn (Kutcher), a young man
who has tried to block out the horrific events of his past.

He finds that, by reading his journals, he can transport himself
back in time and try to change things, most notably trying to save
his childhood sweetheart Kayleigh (Amy Smart) from her abusive
father (Eric Stoltz) and psychotic brother (William Lee Scott).
Unfortunately, Evan only seems to make things worse each time he
goes back.

“His insight into the character was just amazing,”
Gruber said.

The filmmakers say that although Kutcher was not their first
choice for the role, they were won over after a meeting at the
young actor’s house.

“(The screenplay is) a fantastic metaphor for life … how
blind we are as a society,” Kutcher said. “(Playing
Evan) was the greatest challenge I’d seen yet as an
actor.”

Many of the actors relished the chance to take on roles that
would allow them to swing in widely different directions while
still playing the same character.

For example, Kayleigh’s character evolves from a waitress
to a sorority girl to a drug addict. Smart, who is best known for
her roles in “Road Trip” and “Varsity
Blues,” said she admires the work of actresses known for
their versatility, such as Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon and Emily
Watson. However, the same isn’t true for every role.

“(Evan’s) trying to hide who he really is,”
Kutcher said.

Fans of “Final Destination 2,” which Bress and
Gruber helped to write, will notice the same tone with “The
Butterfly Effect,” which is, at times, unrelentingly
violent.

“We never figured it would be a studio film,” Bress
said.

Expecting “The Butterfly Effect” to be an
independent movie, they were pleasantly surprised to have so much
creative freedom in making it. And although having two directors on
a film is unusual, Bress and Gruber say they couldn’t imagine
it any other way.

“We do share a brain,” Gruber said, when Bress piped
in himself.

“I honestly don’t know how one director can pull off
everything that needs to be done,” he said.