Wilmer Valderrama swore he'd never do the Fez voice again before returning for That '90s Show
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Wilmer Valderrama nearly said "good day" to the idea of returning as Fez in That '90s Show.
The actor, who starred as the upbeat character who never actually revealed his real name in That '70s Show, explained that he was initially hesitant about stepping back into the role for the Netflix sequel.
"You come around so many years later, you get an opportunity, and you get this phone call saying, 'Hey, they're bringing the band back together and it's the same writers and the same producers and all of that. Will you be open to playing Fez again?'" he said on The Jennifer Hudson Show. "And I had to really think about it because first and foremost, I was like, 'Can I still do the voice?'"
It was a valid cause of concern for Valderrama, who noted that he had previously "retired" Fez's signature lilt back in 2006.
"I had sworn and literally promised myself that I would never do the voice again because it was just time for my next chapter and becoming what I need to be at that time," he explained. "I said, 'I'm never gonna do it again.' Even at the tipsiest of me, you couldn't even get me to do it."
However, his viewpoint shifted once he sat down at a table read for the series.
"We had to come up with a great storyline. They asked me, 'Where do you think Fez would be if he was in the '90s?' And I said, 'He'd be the Paul Mitchell of Wisconsin,'" Valderrama said. "And they loved the idea so, obviously, that's where the fabulous hair comes from."
Michael Yarish/Fox Wilmer Valderrama and Mila Kunis in 'That '70s Show'
In the spin-off, Fez is the successful owner of a chain of hair salons called Chez Fez. He's also in a relationship with Sherri (Andrea Anders), Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) and Red Forman's (Kurtwood Smith) next-door neighbor. The series also sees the return of his Point Place pals Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, and Ashton Kutcher.
Reprising the role brought back a wave of emotions for Valderrama.
"As soon as I opened the script and the first line came out of my mouth, it was emotional. I got a little choked up because I heard him again," he recalled. "It was just a beautiful moment to relive that. And the fact that Netflix was able to put it on such a stage where everybody around the world that had found it in some way found it again and all of you connected with it. Really great. It's so silly."
Watch Valderrama discuss reprising the role in the clip above.
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