Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher on why they won't team up on-screen beyond their new Super Bowl ad

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Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are having a mini on-screen reunion — in a Cheetos commercial that will air during Sunday’s Super Bowl.

The pair spoke to Yahoo Entertainment about the spot — which also features Shaggy as Kunis adopts his “It Wasn’t Me” as a defense after being caught orange-handed with her husband’s snacks — as well as why fans won’t soon see the parents of two co-starring in a bigger project. They also spoke about whether their kids — daughter Wyatt, 6, and son Dimitri, 4 — know they are famous.

Kutcher, who co-starred with Kunis on That 70s Show, long before they coupled up, said they “reluctantly” read the pitch for the commercial, thinking they were “never going to do it, but let’s read it. We’re in a pandemic, we don’t have anything else to do — other than chase our kids, and teach them, and feed them, and work.” However, “it made us laugh,” adds Kunis, whose fingers and face are dusted with “Cheetle” (the actual name of Cheetos dust) throughout the ad.

“We were both like: Should we do it?” Kutcher recalls. “Frankly, Mila says it the best: ‘We get to leave the house for two days? We don’t have to chase our kids around?’ That seemed like fun,” amid the grind of pandemic parenting. “And everybody kind of needs to laugh right now.”

Working together was definitely the selling point.

“It’s not horrible working with the person you like most in the world,” Kutcher says of his wife, whom he married in 2015, three years after they started dating.

Kunis adds, “For me, my favorite thing to do is laugh,” says Kunis. “My husband makes me laugh all day long. He makes me laugh more than anybody. I don’t know if that’s necessarily good to do while shooting a commercial but...”

Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix Steals the Spotlight with Super Bowl Ad Featuring Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Shaggy     Released today, the full commercial reveals the superstar cast answering what to do when you get caught sneaking Cheetos to the lyrics of Shaggy’s hit song, “It Wasn’t Me,” celebrating its 20th anniversary      Fans will have the opportunity to snatch their own bag of Cheetos during the game     PLANO, Texas, Feb. 1, 2021 — After reclaiming its Super Bowl icon status last year, today Cheetos unveiled this year’s full TVC for Super Bowl LV, “It Wasn’t Me.” In the commercial, actors, philanthropists and power-couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis helped remix Grammy Award-winning artist Shaggy’s iconic song with a mischievous twist, offering a tip on what to do when caught sneaking Cheetos from your loved one’s stash.     Fans were left stumped with the release of teasers, “Evidence” and “Advice,” wondering about the evidence Kutcher found. What could Mila have done? What advice did Shaggy offer her? All their questions are finally answered [see here] as Ashton continuously catches Mila ‘orange-handed’ around the house — eating his bag of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix. But every time he questions her, Mila has the perfect response: “It Wasn’t Me,” thanks to Shaggy. The release of the commercial for Super Bowl LV also marks the 20th anniversary of the retail release of the reggae icon’s timeless hit “It Wasn’t Me.”      “Mila and I both remember when ‘It Wasn’t Me’ came out 20 years ago when we were first working together on That 70s Show, so it’s really cool to come full circle with Cheetos, work together again and remix this song,” Kutcher said. “We’ve rarely done projects together since then, but the concept was so fun and relatable. And we couldn’t pass up the chance to be in this Super Bowl commercial.”     With the release of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix – a delicious combination of two fan favorites in Cheetos Popcorn with Cheetos Crunchy – last month, Chester Cheetah mock-warned fans to keep their eyes peeled for any Cheetle-coated surfaces as this would be the most sought-after snack in their pantry. He even issued his own survey to back-up his theory: According to a recent consumer survey commissioned by Cheetos, nearly half of Americans (48 percent) admit to sneaking snacks from friends or loved ones, and among those, one in four (25 percent) even admit to doing it with some regularity*.     "Cheetos burst back onto the Super Bowl scene last year and this year’s Cheetos campaign is no different, perfectly depicting the lengths our fans will go for their Cheetos,” said Rachel Ferdinando, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Frito-Lay North America. “And to be able to partner with Ashton, Mila and Shaggy, whose comedic delivery and timing brings this campaign to life, is truly amazing and something I’m sure the millions of viewers tuning into the Super Bowl will love — and relate to.”     The spot was created by Frito-Lay's creative agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and directed by renowned Super Bowl commercial director, Bryan Buckley.     Snap to Steal  In a first-of-its-kind activation, this year’s Cheetos Super Bowl spot is giving fans the opportunity to snatch their own bag of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix directly from the commercial when it airs on Super Bowl Sunday. All fans need to do is simply open Snapchat, point their camera at the new Cheetos commercial and hold down on their screen to unlock a free bag of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix.     To let fans in on this gameday hack, a national snap lens starring Chester Cheetah goes live Sunday morning, styled like a secret video call, giving the scoop on how to scan and steal Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix from the spot.     Cheetos is also giving fans the chance to win a year’s worth of Cheetos and swag every time the defense steals the ball during Super Bowl LV. Anytime a turnover happens in the game, Chester will send out a Turnover Tweet where fans can enter to win epic Cheetos swag. Follow @ChesterCheetah on Twitter for more information on how you can win big on Super Bowl Sunday.     Finally, fans living near Brooklyn, New York can scan the QR code included in a Cheetos advertisement on the corner of Wythe and North 10th to score a free bag of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix, now through February 7, or until supplies last.     TikTok Challenge  Following Super Bowl Sunday, Cheetos will be launching a TikTok challenge for fans to create their own version of the Super Bowl commercial, singing “It Wasn’t Me” in response to a handful of up-and-coming creators. This campaign is rooted in the brand’s mission to inspire and encourage fans to express their creativity with a bit of a mischievous twist.     It's a Cheetos Thing  This year’s Super Bowl campaign is the next chapter of the masterbrand campaign, "It's a Cheetos Thing," which debuted at Super Bowl LIV. “It’s a Cheetos Thing,” is a point of view, a way of life — and an unspoken bond you share with anyone whose fingers are constantly orange. It's a break from the everyday, or a momentary pause on adulthood.     The campaign will continue to be supported through all of the primary channels, including this year’s Super Bowl TVC; in-store; out-of-home; and digital.     Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix  Combining the two beloved products, Cheetos Popcorn and traditional Cheetos Crunchy, Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix creates a new, one-of-a-kind Cheetle-infused snacking experience.     Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix also ties into recent food and snack mashup trends that emerged during 2020, including the infusion of snack mixes into mealtime occasions and Cheetos recipe searches skyrocketing 190%. This led to other innovations and campaigns such as Cheetos Mac ‘n Cheese, a Cheetos cookbook and even a new PepsiCo Foods North America recipe hub, MoreSmilesWithEveryBite.com.      Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix is now available in a 7 oz bag for $3.99 SRP and 2.25 oz bag for $1.89 SRP at retailers nationwide.     Frito-Lay Dominates Super Bowl LV  The Cheetos commercial will be one of three brand campaigns from Frito-Lay on Super Bowl Sunday, making it the broadest presence the company has had to date during the Super Bowl. The Doritos campaign will feature the return of the highly anticipated Doritos 3D Crunch and a new look for #FlatMatthew. And for the first time, the Frito-Lay portfolio of brands will premiere a Super Bowl Sunday commercial that includes the most NFL legends ever featured in a PepsiCo commercial.     *This poll was conducted by Morning Consult between December 18-December 20, 2020 among a national sample of 2,200 Adults. The interviews were conducted online, and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.     About Cheetos   Cheetos is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $17 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.     About PepsiCo  PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $67 billion in net revenue in 2019, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.     Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are back together on screen — with Shaggy — for a Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix that airs during the Super Bowl.

But they won’t be working together on-screen in bigger projects anytime soon as it’s hard for them both to be putting in long days on the set and not feel like absentee parents.

“That’s the whole thing,” Kutcher says. “We just want to be good parents. If something presented itself that was: ‘OK, you have an 8-hour shoot day and you’re in Los Angeles and the kids can go to school...”

Kunis picks up, “...and it’s only Monday though Friday, no weekends. [But] this stuff doesn’t exist. The truth is: I’m lucky because my husband has like 1000 jobs, right?” referring to his off-camera projects. “So when I go and shoot a movie, he still works 9 to 5 — or more like 9 to 5 plus midnight to 4 a.m. — but he’s there for the kids. On a film shoot, it’s a 15- or 16- hour days, so you don’t see the kids unless you bring them to set.”

She continues, “So I’m super fortunate in that way” to have him step in when she’s away working, including on her new film Breaking News in Yuba County, out Feb. 21. “And then vice versa. When he shoots, I stay home. Or I don’t go and shoot but and produce. There’s no way of us doing [a show or movie] together and feel like we’re good parents. I think we would have so much guilt we’d forget to enjoy our jobs. At least this way, only one of us is guilty.”

If you’d ask their kids what Kunis and Kutcher do for a living, the answer is “play pretend for work.” They don’t know they’re famous per se.

“I don’t think they understand what that is,” Kutcher says.

Kunis breaks in, “Two days ago my parents were over [and] I mentioned I had to wake up [early today] to do press for the commercial. Wyatt said: ‘Oh, the thing that you and daddy shot during quarantine?’ My dad turns to me, in Russian, and asked: ‘Do they know what you do for a living now?’”

She continues, “I think she thinks it’s a job. It is a job. But I don’t think she thinks of it any different than a doctor, a grocery store employee, the Instacart driver, mommy’s an actress, that guy’s a security guard. She doesn’t think it’s any different than anybody else’s job.”

Kutcher then relays a story from the day before, while talking about their menu on Super Bowl Sunday, when Wyatt said they couldn’t be away from the TV at half-time or they would miss Mom and Dad’s commercial.

Kunis says, “But in the coolest of ways, I think it’s...”

“...just a job” to them,” Kutcher jumps in. “Which is what it is to us.”

Kunis continues, “100 percent. So I think that maybe this is the first time she was like, ‘Mom and Dad play pretend for a living.’ That’s it. That’s their concept of what we do.”

Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix Steals the Spotlight with Super Bowl Ad Featuring Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Shaggy     Released today, the full commercial reveals the superstar cast answering what to do when you get caught sneaking Cheetos to the lyrics of Shaggy’s hit song, “It Wasn’t Me,” celebrating its 20th anniversary      Fans will have the opportunity to snatch their own bag of Cheetos during the game     PLANO, Texas, Feb. 1, 2021 — After reclaiming its Super Bowl icon status last year, today Cheetos unveiled this year’s full TVC for Super Bowl LV, “It Wasn’t Me.” In the commercial, actors, philanthropists and power-couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis helped remix Grammy Award-winning artist Shaggy’s iconic song with a mischievous twist, offering a tip on what to do when caught sneaking Cheetos from your loved one’s stash.     Fans were left stumped with the release of teasers, “Evidence” and “Advice,” wondering about the evidence Kutcher found. What could Mila have done? What advice did Shaggy offer her? All their questions are finally answered [see here] as Ashton continuously catches Mila ‘orange-handed’ around the house — eating his bag of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix. But every time he questions her, Mila has the perfect response: “It Wasn’t Me,” thanks to Shaggy. The release of the commercial for Super Bowl LV also marks the 20th anniversary of the retail release of the reggae icon’s timeless hit “It Wasn’t Me.”      “Mila and I both remember when ‘It Wasn’t Me’ came out 20 years ago when we were first working together on That 70s Show, so it’s really cool to come full circle with Cheetos, work together again and remix this song,” Kutcher said. “We’ve rarely done projects together since then, but the concept was so fun and relatable. And we couldn’t pass up the chance to be in this Super Bowl commercial.”     With the release of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix – a delicious combination of two fan favorites in Cheetos Popcorn with Cheetos Crunchy – last month, Chester Cheetah mock-warned fans to keep their eyes peeled for any Cheetle-coated surfaces as this would be the most sought-after snack in their pantry. He even issued his own survey to back-up his theory: According to a recent consumer survey commissioned by Cheetos, nearly half of Americans (48 percent) admit to sneaking snacks from friends or loved ones, and among those, one in four (25 percent) even admit to doing it with some regularity*.     "Cheetos burst back onto the Super Bowl scene last year and this year’s Cheetos campaign is no different, perfectly depicting the lengths our fans will go for their Cheetos,” said Rachel Ferdinando, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Frito-Lay North America. “And to be able to partner with Ashton, Mila and Shaggy, whose comedic delivery and timing brings this campaign to life, is truly amazing and something I’m sure the millions of viewers tuning into the Super Bowl will love — and relate to.”     The spot was created by Frito-Lay's creative agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and directed by renowned Super Bowl commercial director, Bryan Buckley.     Snap to Steal  In a first-of-its-kind activation, this year’s Cheetos Super Bowl spot is giving fans the opportunity to snatch their own bag of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix directly from the commercial when it airs on Super Bowl Sunday. All fans need to do is simply open Snapchat, point their camera at the new Cheetos commercial and hold down on their screen to unlock a free bag of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix.     To let fans in on this gameday hack, a national snap lens starring Chester Cheetah goes live Sunday morning, styled like a secret video call, giving the scoop on how to scan and steal Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix from the spot.     Cheetos is also giving fans the chance to win a year’s worth of Cheetos and swag every time the defense steals the ball during Super Bowl LV. Anytime a turnover happens in the game, Chester will send out a Turnover Tweet where fans can enter to win epic Cheetos swag. Follow @ChesterCheetah on Twitter for more information on how you can win big on Super Bowl Sunday.     Finally, fans living near Brooklyn, New York can scan the QR code included in a Cheetos advertisement on the corner of Wythe and North 10th to score a free bag of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix, now through February 7, or until supplies last.     TikTok Challenge  Following Super Bowl Sunday, Cheetos will be launching a TikTok challenge for fans to create their own version of the Super Bowl commercial, singing “It Wasn’t Me” in response to a handful of up-and-coming creators. This campaign is rooted in the brand’s mission to inspire and encourage fans to express their creativity with a bit of a mischievous twist.     It's a Cheetos Thing  This year’s Super Bowl campaign is the next chapter of the masterbrand campaign, "It's a Cheetos Thing," which debuted at Super Bowl LIV. “It’s a Cheetos Thing,” is a point of view, a way of life — and an unspoken bond you share with anyone whose fingers are constantly orange. It's a break from the everyday, or a momentary pause on adulthood.     The campaign will continue to be supported through all of the primary channels, including this year’s Super Bowl TVC; in-store; out-of-home; and digital.     Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix  Combining the two beloved products, Cheetos Popcorn and traditional Cheetos Crunchy, Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix creates a new, one-of-a-kind Cheetle-infused snacking experience.     Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix also ties into recent food and snack mashup trends that emerged during 2020, including the infusion of snack mixes into mealtime occasions and Cheetos recipe searches skyrocketing 190%. This led to other innovations and campaigns such as Cheetos Mac ‘n Cheese, a Cheetos cookbook and even a new PepsiCo Foods North America recipe hub, MoreSmilesWithEveryBite.com.      Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix is now available in a 7 oz bag for $3.99 SRP and 2.25 oz bag for $1.89 SRP at retailers nationwide.     Frito-Lay Dominates Super Bowl LV  The Cheetos commercial will be one of three brand campaigns from Frito-Lay on Super Bowl Sunday, making it the broadest presence the company has had to date during the Super Bowl. The Doritos campaign will feature the return of the highly anticipated Doritos 3D Crunch and a new look for #FlatMatthew. And for the first time, the Frito-Lay portfolio of brands will premiere a Super Bowl Sunday commercial that includes the most NFL legends ever featured in a PepsiCo commercial.     *This poll was conducted by Morning Consult between December 18-December 20, 2020 among a national sample of 2,200 Adults. The interviews were conducted online, and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.     About Cheetos   Cheetos is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $17 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.     About PepsiCo  PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $67 billion in net revenue in 2019, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.     Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher pair up with Shaggy for a Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix that will air during the Super Bowl.

This is the first year they’ll be home on Super Bowl Sunday, which is also Kutcher’s 43rd birthday. (Of the birthday, Kunis, 37, quips, “I mean it’s quarantine and COVID, so nothing exciting is happening. We may have streamers and a banner, OK?”) They really don’t have any grand expectations of how it will play out, especially with kids with kid attention spans.

“What’s going to ultimately happen is that I’m going to watch the Super Bowl and my wife is going to be the greatest wife in the world and when the kids are over watching it, she’s going to be like: ‘OK, guys, let’s go do this...’ Then at halftime I’ll...”

“Tag in,” she continues. “They’ll pop in. I don’t think they’ll sit there for two hours-plus. There’s no way. They’ll be in and out. Our son loves Hot Wheels and dinosaurs, so he’ll bring those into the room and make lots of noise with them.”

Kutcher adds, “Every year, we’ve gotten another five or so more minutes out of it.”

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