Wilmer Valderrama and the cast of That ‘70s Show have one major hope for their kids: to recognize their legacy beyond one notable decade.
While gracing the red carpet at the Hollywood Reporter's Oscar Nominee night at Spago Beverly Hills on March 7, the Encanto actor told reporters, including E! News, about the ultimate goal he and his former co-stars share when it comes to the next generation.
"We really joke around that we're going to have a That 70's dynasty," Wilmer shared. "Like, it's going to be like a Spanish soap opera…So, it's funny because we joke around like, what are they going to be like? Are they going to be anything like us...But one thing is, for sure, is that every single one of us who has kids on That ‘70s Show, we really try to make sure that they not only try to understand their roots, but they understand that they come from a heritage of people who came to this country to work really hard. And a lot of them are immigrants, from Mila [Kunis] to me."
As fans may recall, after their hit show's end in 2006, Wilmer's co-star, Mila—who was born in Ukraine—would later marry and have two children with co-star Ashton Kutcher, which is a detail Wilmer was happy to include, jokingly adding, "And even Kutcher, coming from the Midwest and trying to make the dream come true, let's put him in the mix!"
However, their effort is more than a lighthearted matter. "But all of us really are very conscious of that," Wilmer explained of teaching their kids about their legacy. "So, I think they're going to have the values and they're going to be aligned right, but it's cool."
For Wilmer, who welcomed daughter Nakano with fiancée Amanda Pacheco in February 2021, his latest role as a voice actor in Encanto is not only notable for the movie's critical acclaim, but also hit very close to home on a personal note.
"We were talking about this when we were recording Encanto that this is the first role of me playing a father while actually being a father," he said. "So, it was beautiful. It was beautiful to be able to see that."
And as far as he's concerned, Wilmer thinks he's steering in the perfect direction professionally. "I think that there's so much that I'm doing in my career now that is really consciously about when [Nakano] looks back at her father," he continued, jokingly adding, "I know that I'll never be cool to her."
But for Wilmer, the expansion of his career now is something he's simply always dreamed of, especially since he has someone very special always watching.
"I mean, when I came to the United States back in the early '90s, I remember it was '93, when I got here and I didn't know how to speak English," Wilmer shared. "And when I watched television, unless I watched Desi Arnaz or anything else, I really—it's a thing. So, seeing that [Nakano]'s going to wake up to a world where all of us have fought those battles and said ‘no,' and said ‘no' enough to all the roles that didn't really empower us to be the community that we really have been to this country, and the contribution that we've given to this country, its beautiful."
It's a moment in time that Wilmer is undoubtedly grateful to be a part of and can't wait to continue to add to. "I think immigrants are being celebrated more and more in cinema and television now," he said. "There's a wave coming. I look back at those characters and I'm proud, I'm proud of the trajectory. I've been doing this thing for almost 26, 27 years now, and we really have moved the needle forward. So, it's a really exciting time…I'm proud of the next project I'm going to be doing. That's going to be another big moment for my daughter. To be able to create that, it's pretty exciting."
(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)