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Ashton Kutcher explains those awkward red carpet photos with Reese Witherspoon

They're damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Or so says Ashton Kutcher, while explaining the hilariously awkward red carpet photos of him and costar Reese Witherspoon. The two have been busy promoting their new Netflix rom-com Your Place or Mine, and pictures of the duo standing politely side-by-side in promos have created much Internet chatter in recent days.

Speaking on the Chicks in the Office podcast recently, Kutcher explained that there's no winning in this situation. "Here's the thing: if I put my arm around her, and was like all friendly with her, I'd be having an affair with her. Like, the rumor would be that I'm having an affair with her," Kutcher said. "If I stand next to her and put my hands in my pockets so there's no chance that that could be the rumor, then the rumor is we don't like each other. Reese and I are really good friends; we're really close. I don't have to defend that."

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 06: Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon attend the Your Place Or Mine New York Screening at The Paris Theatre on February 06, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Netflix)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 06: Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon attend the Your Place Or Mine New York Screening at The Paris Theatre on February 06, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Netflix)

Noam Galai/Getty Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon on the red carpet promoting 'Your Place or Mine'

The actor added that he hadn't seen all of the memes and social media scuttlebutt, and in fact it was his wife, Mila Kunis, who first gave him a heads up. "My wife called me. She texted Reese and I together and said, 'Guys, you gotta, like… act like you like each other.'"

Kutcher also explained that sometimes his awkwardness can be chalked up to the fact he's hard of hearing, which is a bad combination when photographers on a carpet are shouting at you repeatedly. "I don't know who's calling my name, but I know there's a lot of people yelling, 'Reese! Ashton! Over here!'" the actor said. "If you're gonna tell me, in that entire 20-minute period, at one point you're not gonna have an awkward face on, then you're better than I am and I'm cool with that."

In the film, which is written and directed by Aline Brosh McKenna (27 DressesCrazy Ex-Girlfriend), Witherspoon and Kutcher play Debbie and Peter, two best friends who are polar opposites. She's an accountant with a son living in Los Angeles, and he is a marketing exec and aspiring writer living in New York. When the two decide to swap homes and schedules for a week, they realize that what's missing from their lives might just be each other, naturally.

Your Place or Mine hits Netflix Feb. 10.

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