Ashton Kutcher Sometimes Found It Challenging Acting Alongside Natalie Portman in ‘No Strings Attached’

Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher once collaborated with each other in the romantic comedy film No Strings Attached. Kutcher was particularly impressed by Portman’s acting ability, which made working alongside her both a blessing and a curse.

Ashton Kutcher learned a lot from working with Natalie Portman on ‘No Strings Attached’

Kutcher and Portman teamed up for the first time in No Strings Attached. As the title implies, the hit film featured two friends agreeing to be physically intimate with each other while avoiding an emotional connection.

Kutcher already had much more experience starring in comedies than Portman did. However, despite Strings being Portman’s first rom-com, Kutcher felt there was very little to teach an actor of Portman’s caliber. Instead, Kutcher was the one who picked up a few tips from Portman.

“I learned more from Natalie in one day of being on set together than I can ever possibly teach her in a billion years,” Kutcher once told Collider. “She may not have done a rom-com before, but she’s done so much work on so many different levels. I mean, I even watch ‘Garden State’ or something like that, that’s comedic in and of itself, but also is true, specific organic performances. I don’t know that there’s anything I can really teach her.”

The Star Wars star disagreed with Kutcher, and asserted that she learned many things from Kutcher as well.

Ashton Kutcher felt it was a challenge working with an actor as good as Natalie Portman

Kutcher felt that she and Portman had a lot going for themselves in the film. The former Punk’d host was grateful for the chemistry they shared. Especially since finding chemistry wasn’t always easy regardless of how talented two co-stars could be.

“It’s easier when you like the person and she’s very likeable. I don’t know that it’s something you can… manufacture,” he once told Cover Media (via Digital Spy). “I’ve generally found that you can have really good chemistry with someone that you can argue well with and I think Natalie and I both really appreciate being right and I think that that makes for good chemistry. I think Natalie could have chemistry with this cup if she wanted to.”

But working alongside Portman also carried with it a bit of difficulty. Kutcher noticed there was a degree of honesty his co-star could tap into in her acting. But Kutcher wasn’t entirely sure he could do the same.

“She’s probably one of the best actresses of my generation. I believe she is and there’s a blessing and a curse in that as an actor,” he said. “Because… you know everything you get across from you is going to be real and honest and reactive and beautiful, at the same time when the light shines in the dark room all the dust shows, and so it was a challenge for me to be as honest as she is.”

Natalie Portman once revealed she was paid three times less than Ashton Kutcher in ‘No Strings Attached’

Despite their comparable acting careers, Portman and Kutcher received vastly different salaries in No Strings Attached. The Oscar-winner opened up about her feelings towards the situation in a 2017 interview with Marie Claire.

“I knew and I went along with it because there’s this thing with ‘quotes’ in Hollywood,” Portman said. “His [quote] was three times higher than mine so they said he should get three times more.”

Despite initially being upset with the disparity, Portman didn’t air her grievances at the time. Given that actors were already paid large salaries, she didn’t want to come off like she was complaining. Still, she couldn’t ignore the issue as she felt it was a symptom of a much bigger societal problem.

“Compared to men, in most professions, women make 80 cents to the dollar,” she said. “In Hollywood, we are making 30 cents to the dollar.”

Kutcher expressed his support of Portman with a tweet.

“So proud of Natalie and all women who stand up for closing the gender pay gap,” he said.