That 90s Show: We Interview Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp

Last Updated on June 27, 2024

A little while ago, I got to do something really cool. To celebrate the debut of That 90s Show Part 2, I was invited on behalf of JoBlo to visit Los Angeles and interview the show’s two most iconic stars, Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp, who play Red and Kitty Foreman, the beloved parents from That 70s Show who are now loving grandparents on the sequel series. Having grown up watching That 70s Show during its initial run, this was a huge treat for me, so I was thrilled to sit down and talk to the pair, who seem to absolutely love playing their roles and are always delighted to be in each other’s company. And yeah, I had to squeeze in a RoboCop mention, as to me Kurtwood Smith will always be Clarence Boddicker, perhaps the most iconically evil villain of the 80s. Check out the interview above.

Another cool thing about the visit was that I got to observe a live studio taping of an episode, something I had never done before. That 90s Show is shot in an old-school way, in front of a live studio audience. In my interview, Smith and Rupp mention how the energy of the crowd is infectious, and I got to witness this firsthand. The director of the episode was none other than Laura Prepon, who was doing double duty, as she also acted in the episode as Donna. I loved seeing how, based on audience reaction, Prepon and her cast made adjustments to line readings, getting different kinds of laughs. It was pretty enlightening.

Afterwards, me and a few other journalists got to explore the set a bit, and I even got my photo taken in the show’s iconic basement set:

That 90s Show – Part 2 premieres on Netflix on June 27th, while Part 3 premieres on October 24th! Will you be watching? Let us know in the comments!