That ’90s Show: Kurtwood Smith Talks Favorite That ’70s Show Cast Mates

That ’90s Show introduced Point Place to a new generation of viewers, but Kurtwood Smith recalls his experience while filming That ’70s Show. The actor, who stars as Red Forman in both series, recently revealed that he was insecure about the role and talked about his favorite cast members.

Netflix‘s That ’90s Show is a ’90s set sequel to That ’70s Show, which first premiered in 1998. It was a nostalgic sitcom about Eric Forman (Topher Grace) and his friends and family as they grew throughout the late ’70s. The series ended in 2006 with a finale that depicted the ’70s finally giving way to the ’80s.

In a new Q&A by Business Insider, Smith answered ten questions the publication had for him. He revealed various tidbits about himself, including the fact that he would have done That ’70s Show for several more seasons, had Fox allowed him to. Smith even stated that the character Red is a part of him now, saying he didn’t need to get back in character for That ’90s Show because Red never left him. However, it wasn’t always that way. Smith also states that he was insecure about his comedic chops when first starting on That ’70s Show and credits the writers with their ability to elicit a response from the audience.

Smith also talked about his fellow That ’70s Show cast members, singling out a few members for always being able to make him laugh. “All the characters had their own thing and did them so well, you know?” Smith asked. “But the two people that I worked with most — Topher Grace, of course, and Debra Jo Rupp — they’re both terrific actors. I don’t think Debra gets the credit she deserves. People see her as a nutty comedian, which she is — she can do that extremely well. But she can play a wide variety of roles. I always got a big kick out of Wilmer, too. We got to do a couple scenes together on That ’90s Show, and those were two of my favorite scenes of the whole season.”

Unlike Mila Kunis, who ‘called BS’ on Jackie and Kelso ending up together on That ’90s Show, it seems that Smith wasn’t too down about the characters pairing up again. When asked about his favorite pairing for Jackie, Smith indicated that her relationships with Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) were his favorite. Though it’s hard for him to look past Kelso because that’s who Jackie ended up with canonically, the idea of Fez and Jackie together struck Smith as ‘funny.’

When looking back at That ’70s Show, Smith recalled that its success was due to its heart. The actor stated that the show’s earnestness was something that audiences responded to. Calling the characters “genuine,” Smith credited the strength of its cast with the show’s popularity.

That ’90s Show is now streaming on Netflix.