Tommy Chong, the comedian, actor, musician, and undisputed symbol of cannabis culture for forty years, is a part of Netflix NFLX’s “That 90’s Show,” the sequel of mega-popular “That 70’s Show.”
“That 90’s Show,” which aired on January 19, centers on Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), the teenage daughter of Eric Forman (Topher Grace) and Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon), forming bonds with other teenagers as she spends the summer of 1995 with her grandparents Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) in Point Place, Wisconsin, 15 years after the events of That '70s Show.
And, to the delight of the fans of the series, the new show welcomes back a big part of the original cast, such as Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Rupp, Smith, Prepon, Grace, and Tommy Chong himself, who makes stellar appearances playing Leo -the wacky older hippie dude- on episodes 2 and 9.
In the new period teen sitcom, Leia quickly forms a bond with a group of friends reminiscent of the iconic '70s gang. The group includes the couple Nate (Maxwell Acee Donovan) and Nikki (Sam Morelos), rebellious Gwen (Ashley Aufderheide), and openly gay Ozzie (Reya Dol). Nate and Gwen are neighbors, with Gwen's divorced mother Sherri (Andrea Anders) dating Fez (Wilder Valderrama).
The group reunites in the famous basement for more smoke-filled adventures and hilarious moments.
That 70’s Show: A 420 Cast?
In recent years, the connection between the cast of "That 70's Show" and cannabis has become a topic of discussion among fans and the media.
From rumors of on-set smoking to public statements made by the actors themselves, there is a growing perception that the cast was as high as their characters often appeared on screen. Whether or not this perception is entirely accurate, it's certainly added another layer of interest to the show and its legacy.
See also: Hello Wisconsin: Netflix Grabs 'That '90s Show' Rights
These are the members of the cast who have openly spoken about the plant:
Ashton Kutcher
The 44-year-old actor, producer, entrepreneur, and former model who played Michael Kelso in “That 70’s Show” recently told a wild story during an interview with Esquire.
Kutcher, who is a recipient of various accolades, including a People's Choice Award, and nominations for two Young Artist Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics' Choice Movie Award, revealed that he has now left his party days behind him and that he no longer consumes cannabis or alcohol.
“I haven’t done a drug in ten years,” he assures.
But, what led him to that decision? The “Two and a Half Men” protagonist shared that the last time he consumed cannabis was during a friend’s wedding in Italy, where he took a THC mint. “That sh-t did not go well,” the star recalled.
Kutcher had just undergone a vasectomy and, as the effects of the edible hit, he started panicking and thinking he had lost sensation below his waist. And, when he wanted to return to his room, he couldn’t remember its location and Mila had to guide him.
Did the bad moment end there? Nope. “Once in bed, Kutcher was doing some very bad math. He convinced himself they were going broke. He was thinking: ‘We can’t even afford to be here right now!’,” Esquire reported.
See also: How Did Ashton Kutcher Amass A $250M Investing Fortune? His Instinct To Spot Future Winners
“The next day, I realized I had moved the decimal point,” Kutcher said. “The minute weed became legal in California, I got banned from doing it.”
Topher Grace
Topher Grace, whose first role ever was Eric Foreman in “That 70’s Show” is now an executive producer and star of ABC’s “Home Economics.” In an interview with High There, Grace recalled the first time he tried weed and talked about his relationship with the plant.
One thing is for sure, though: he does use cannabis regularly. When he was asked about it, he replied: “Oh yeah, come on, I live in Los Angeles. I mean, let’s get real!”
Moreover, he said he does not consider himself to be an advocate for the plant and explained why.
“Personally, I’m fine with it, but I don’t think I was ever an advocate for it; I think I was just into whatever project I’m going to do in talking about the truth of what those characters are going through,” he started. “If you did a show about six teenagers, you know, hanging out in the basement in the 70s, and you know, marijuana wasn’t a part of it – you’re just lying. If you’re talking about like on “Home Economics”, where you have two parents who are trying to relax in one night and kind of go for it, you’d be lying if you didn’t have it there. So, yeah, I don’t think that makes me an advocate, but I do think people should be real about cannabis as something that they’ve seen in their own lives.”
Grace also disclosed he didn’t drink or smoke the entire time he was working on “That 70’s Show (“I was cast out of a high school play into the show, so there was a lot of pressure on me”), so the first time he tried cannabis was after the show finished, and by accident.
Grace recounted he was at a charity event when someone offered him a breath mint: “I should have known because she said, ‘Do you want half? It’s really strong.’ And I was like, ‘I think I can handle the whole breath mint.’”
“So I ate this whole… I mean, it was an entire strip of THC. I was higher than… It was like a full sheet of brownies or something. And then I also didn’t know I was high because I just had a breath strip and like we ate dinner or something,” he narrated.
See also: Thanks To Weed, Every Cool Movie In The '90s Was A Stoner Movie
Topher’s first trip included the sensation of having lava coming out from the back of his head, so it's safe to say it probably wasn’t a pleasant experience. “That was my introduction, and it was pretty hardcore. It was more than I needed to do. But, luckily, we found out what happened later because the person who gave it to me explained. Because if not, I would have been going insane.”
Mila Kunis
Even though Kunis (who played Jackie Burkhart in “That 70’s Show”) hasn’t openly come out of the cannabis closet, she has a project that is intimately related to weed: “Stoner Cats.”
Mila produced and lent her voice to the animated series for adults that tells the story of five cats who... yes, smoke pot.
And that's not the most curious part of the project: in order to watch Stoner Cats you need to own a Stoner Cats TOKEN. That is, to buy a collectible NFT.
The adult cartoon, created by animators Chris Cartagena, Sarah Cole and Ash Brannon, immediately caught the attention of star Mila Kunis and her production company Orchard Farm Productions.
The kittens are voiced by stars like Chris Rock, Ashton Kutcher, Seth McFarlane and, obviously, Kunis. Plus, the mom of the smoking kitties is played by none other than the fabulous Jane Fonda.
Another colorful fact: one of the cats is voiced by Vitalik Buterin, the Russian programmer who founded Ethereum.
Each episode is between 5 and 7 minutes long and its creators said they plan to produce more than one season.
Continue reading: Mila Kunis Presents 'Stoner Cats,' A Weed-Themed NFT Animated Series: 'I Felt The NFT Space Was A Very Masculine Area'
Image credits: hanohiki and Kathy Hutchins on Shutterstock. TechCrunch50-2008 and Gage Skidmore on Wikimedia Commons
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