DES MOINES — Ashton Kutcher left Iowa to escape the small towns and endless farmland.
Now, a worldwide success at age 39 and a father of two, he seems pretty happy to be in his home state.
"I left Iowa wanting to get out of Iowa, and the older I get the more I want to come home," he said Saturday in an interview with The Des Moines Register. "In part, because the more places I go, the more I realize how great it is here, and the more I realize that I almost owe everything of who I am to where I come from."
The eastern Iowa-raised Hollywood superstar appeared Saturday at the Ron Pearson Center in West Des Moines to receive the Robert D. Ray Pillar of Character Award, an annual honor from Drake University to “individuals who demonstrate good character as a role model.”
Outside of acting, Kutcher, 39, is known for multiple philanthropic efforts, including co-founding, along with former pro football player Dallas Clark, an Iowa disaster relief organization called The Native Fund and creating, along with first wife Demi Moore, Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children, which uses technology to combat sexual exploitation of children.
“I think the one thing that you realize the minute you become a parent is that character is the one thing you can give them as a parent," he said. "You can actually, materially impact that … and then everything else becomes their choice."
“One thing that you realize the minute you become a parent is that character is the one thing you can give them as a parent.”
Ashton Kutcher, native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
The That '70s Show and The Ranch star was born in Cedar Rapids and went to high school in Homestead. He made his West Des Moines appearance alongside present wife and fellow star Mila Kunis.
Kutcher's mother, Diane Portwood, and her husband, Mark, as well as his father, Larry Kutcher, and his wife, Colleen, were also in town to see one of Iowa's most celebrated stars.
"You know, I'm probably the first guy to get this award who had a differed judgment for a felony burglary for trying to break into my high school," he told the crowd assembled for the fundraiser in his honor.
He sent the audience into silenced awe when he talked about his relationship with his twin brother, Michael, who was born with cerebral palsy.
"He taught me that loving people isn't a choice," Ashton Kutcher said. "And that people aren't actually all created equal. The Constitution lies to us. We're not all created equal. We're all created incredibly (unequal) to one another. ... but we all have the equal capacity to love one another."
When Ashton Kutcher received the award, he was moved to tears because of the honor:
Character hides and it comes out when you get smacked in the mouth. It comes out when you're walking your brother home from school and some kid hits you in the back on the head because he wants to fight with your brother and you say, 'No.' ... That's when character comes out.It's in your guts. It's in your DNA. And it's nothing I did. So, actually, I didn't come here ultimately to receive this award for myself. I came here to receive it for all of you.
But his earlier interview came back to Iowa's influence on him, saying three values he learned here affect how he raises his children: A general kindness, always keeping your word and showing good work ethic.
Ashton Kutcher and Kunis welcomed their second child, son Dimitri Portwood Kutcher, into the world in November. The couple became parents to a girl, Wyatt Isabelle Kutcher, in 2014.
"There’s an earnestness and an 'honestness' here that lacks in a lot of other places in the world," Ashton Kutcher said. "People aren't afraid to work and aren't afraid to work really hard. They understand that working hard actually gets you there."
That earnestness was on display Thursday when Ashton Kutcher and Kunis surprised students at Oskaloosa High School, about 50 miles southeast of Des Moines. When addressing the students, he delivered a short, galvanizing message: "Just because you're a kid from Iowa, don’t think you can’t have big dreams."
It wasn't his first time returning to Iowa schools: In 2016 he surprised teachers in more than 100 Iowa schools by fulling financing every DonorsChoose.org project open in the state on that day. DonorsChoose is an online crowdfunding platform that teachers use to pay for classroom needs.
Kutcher said he wanted to let the students know that you can build "the next great thing," no matter where you're from.
"What I suggested to those kids is (that) they don’t limit the scope of their pursuits to the things that see that already exist," he said.
Tons of passion. You can hear a pin drop. "I didn't come here to receive this award for myself. I came here to receive it for all of you."
— Matthew Leimkuehler (@mattleimkuehler) April 9, 2017
Ashton Kutcher received the Pillar of Character award in part because of the launch of The Native Fund, which works primary in disaster relief for Iowans. He said he could see the West Des Moines-based nonprofit extending the model to other states and more causes.
First, he said the organization must continue to grow capital. After that could come expansion.
"For us right now, it's about raising a significant reserve capital fund for disaster relief," Ashton Kutcher said. "And then really identifying for ourselves what constitutes disaster relief. Who actually needs disaster relief? And how do (we) build this so it's not some wonky entitlement plan that grows and gets sloppy? ... This is all about helping people. It's not about doing for people."
Ashton Kutcher’s character and philanthropic efforts didn't completely dominate the discussion. When asked about the Hawkeyes' football prospects in the fall, he smiled and laughed.
"That’s a setup," he laughed. "I know a setup when I see one."
Notables for the All Star Evening featuring Ashton Kutcher and Kunis included Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Super Bowl-winning former NFL tight end Dallas Clark, Drake University President Marty Martin and The Bachelor alum Chris Soules, a news release said. Past recipients for the award include Hayden Fry, University of Iowa football coach for 20 seasons; Fred Hoiberg, former men's basketball coach at Iowa State who is now head coach for the Chicago Bulls; and Shawn Johnson, 2008 Olympic gold medalist and gymnast.
Kunis didn't get left out of the festivities. Branstad and Reynolds presented her with a certificate making her an honorary Iowan.
The 33-year-old actress was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, when it was part of the Soviet Union and emigrated to Los Angeles with her family at age 7.
