PopSugarUK Exclusive

While Ashton Kutcher was in the UK a fortnight ago to promote No Strings Attached, he sat down with director Ivan Reitman to answer some questions and I was there. Yesterday I shared what he had to say about his costar Natalie Portman and romance in a digital age, and here he talks about his nude scenes and the 'R' rating that it received for its US release:

• On his pre-nude scene workout regime: AK: “I actually stopped working out for this movie. I had that conversation with Ivan before it started. This guy’s a production assistant and aspiring writer — I know a lot of these guys and none of them are particularly fit. And I just felt like he’s in a very enviable position, as the fantasy of most guys would dictate so I thought making sure that this character was real, was really important. So Ivan and I had this discussion… I said “I think I’m going to let myself go a little for it” but apparently I didn’t let myself go enough, because that’s all that anyone wants to talk about."

• On the ‘R’ rating being the price paid for the movie's realism: IR: “Yeah, unfortunately, it’s mostly for language that we got the ‘R’ rating, and for sexual situations and the explicitness of the ideas. It’s just the way the MPAA, the rating board in America, is set up. In Australia and Europe the rating has been lower. I think they’re much more concerned about sexual conversation than they are blood letting and I think it’s a weird anomaly…." AK: (interjecting) “If you want to make an honest movie in the States it will be rated ‘R’.”
• On the close ups of Ashton's bum in the film: AK: “That’s a big ass…” IR: “He likes to be naked.” AK: [shrugs] “I like having it out… We all come into the world this way, there’s very little we can do about it, you are who you are. Doing the scenes, it doesn’t matter, it’s infinitely awkward, you have 40 strangers standing around… I think it’s less awkward for guys than girls because the crew tends to be slightly more masculine, and, you know, mine doesn’t look that different from yours. Whenever I’m doing scenes like that, whether it’s a sexual scene or one that involves nudity, I actually get out of myself by trying to make sure that the other person’s okay, and when you’re caring about someone else you really stop worrying about yourself and that’s kinda my mental cycle that I put myself through. Then I apologise a lot.”

No Strings Attached is out in UK cinemas today!

Ashton Kutcher was in the UK a couple of weeks ago promoting his new movie No Strings Attached, which is released here tomorrow. I attended a press conference where Ashton and director Ivan Reitman talked engagingly about filming the romantic comedy. The actor also spilled about pressing pause on his love of technology for romance, and how he created chemistry with his leading lady Natalie Portman. Here's what he said:

• On his relationships when he was a teenager: “I was a fumbler —I didn’t really have a girlfriend girlfriend until I was a senior in high school so, I really didn’t… I was kinda nervous about the whole thing. I didn’t manage very well.”
• On what relationship advice he'd give other people: “I’m just trying to make mine work. I think that great relationships are great partnerships and those come in all kinds of shapes sizes, forms, ages, and whatever it is. And the only tip I have for anyone in a relationship or partnership is work on it when it’s good. It’s very easy to try to take that break when things are going good but that’s the time that you have to keep working on it, because you keep it good.”
• On romance: “Romance is personal. The carrots [my character gives Natalie's] in this film are in place of flowers because she didn’t want them, so it meant something to her. Romance is just that, it’s usually not some grand gesture, it’s usually something that’s very very simple but very very personal. Romance is an island right next to care, and when you care about someone and you know them and you can feel them, then you know just what’s right. And generally it’s something that would be very unimpressive to a room full of strangers.”

To read Ashton's thoughts on working with Natalie Portman and his comments on how social media affects romance in the 21st Century, just read more

Last night I attended the Chalet Girl premiere at London's Westfield, and managed to catch up with the gorgeous star of the film, Ed Westwick, for a chat. He was utterly charming as I asked him about his upcoming project with Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio, and he put rumours he's leaving Gossip Girl to rest. Here's what he said:

Do you prefer working on TV or movies?
I enjoy both... both are very different, TV moves a lot quicker. Film, you get a lot more time to spend on it. You go from project to project, and then all of a sudden you're at a lovely thing like this.

It's rumoured you want to move on from Gossip Girl, is that true?
That was taken out of context... what I was trying to say was I want to maximise my time so I can work on other projects as well as Gossip Girl. Why would I [want to move on]? I'm having a fantastic time. I've got a great character, a great cast, and I get to live in New York City.

Your character in the film has rock star ambitions, are you still playing music?
I had a band [The Filthy Youth], that was a little while ago, we broke up a long time ago. I just mess around on the side and play music on my own now.

To read about Ed's Valentine's Day plans and what he had to say about J Edgar, just read more

Last night I attended the InStyle and Lancome pre-BAFTA's party at Shoreditch House and caught up with Mel C, who looked gorgeous in a black ASOS jumpsuit and some classic black peeptoe shoes. She told me and FabUK she wasn't staying too late because she's in the studio at the moment, but she had time for a quick chat with us and shared her excitement over the latest Spice baby and engagement news as well as chatting about the Brit girls she finds inspiring:

• You must be so happy for Emma Bunton on her engagement and baby news, and Victoria too!
  Emma's engaged, she's having a baby, Victoria's having a baby again, it's a really exciting time for all of us girls. We saw Victoria in December and she kept it really quiet, I didn't have a clue! I think it's really nice — Emma and Victoria being pregnant together, when one of your friends is pregnant it's really nice to share the experience together.
• Does it make you broody again?
  You know what, I would like to have more children, but you have to do it when it's the right time for you don't you? My little girl is so fantastic, I'm just really enjoying her at the moment.
• What are you working on at the moment?
  The new album! It's going really well, I'm really excited. I'm working mostly in London, we're doing some writing in Germany and Sweden as well. I'm here with Jodie Harsh tonight, we're doing some dance stuff together. I've worked with Andy Burrows, we did some stuff together. I'm working with lots of people I've worked with in the past and a lot of new people as well, I'm doing a lot of experimenting and seeing what comes of it all.

To find out which fab current singers are inspiring Mel, and what's happening with the Spice Girls musical, just read more

American musician and actor Drake Bell is visiting London for the first time to put on a show at The Borderline tonight, and I caught up with him to chat about his career, ambitions, and eyecatching tattoos. His first love is music, though he started acting at a young age and is still picking up international awards for his work on Drake & Josh, which ended production as a series back in 2007. Since then he's worked on movies and toured in the US and internationally — Drake's now gearing up for the release of his third album later this year. He also has even bigger plans for the future, which he filled me in on when we talked:

• You're a huge fan of British music, aren't you?
  Absolutely, I love The Beatles, Rolling Stones and British music has been a constant in my life ever since I started playing and listening to music. I have never been to London before and it's going to be a great time. It's something I've always wanted to do. In Europe, I've always wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and I'd love to see the Leaning Tower.
• Who are your biggest musical influences and your favourite musicians to work with?
  The Beatles are my biggest musical influences. Currently, I also like Midlake and Bruno Mars. I like working with multi-instrumentalists.
• Tell me about your tattoos:
  "War Is Over", it's from John Lennon, it spoke to me. I'm a huge fan of Lennon. The feather on my arm means a lot of things, depends on what the day is and which mood I'm in. I have Lennon's glasses on my back. They have a broken lens, which is something that spoke to me. Finally there's "Smile", which is the title of Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys' amazing opus. I don't know if I'll get more.
• What dream projects would you love to work on in the future?
  Working with Paul McCartney would be a dream come true. I would love to do one of the remakes of the Jerry Lewis films. There are a lot of dream projects.

To see photos of his tattoos, read what Drake had to say about his future ambitions, and find out what he's working on right now, just read more

Last night, FabSugarUK and I attended the Jacques Townhouse Launch, hosted by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She DJ'd alongside her hubby Richard Jones from The Feeling, and we spotted Keisha Buchanan, Henry Holland, Jodie Harsh and Jameela Jamil among the guests. Just before Jameela took to the decks for her own DJ set, we grabbed her to have a quick word, and she chatted to FabUK about being a gorgeous size 12, her beauty must-haves, and her high street loves. She also told us about her favourite festival, the Secret Garden Party which just took place in Cambridgeshire. Here's what she told me:

"Secret Garden Party is the best festival. It's so magical, with rowing boats to one of the stages. Like the festival version of this house. You can get married there! I tried, but no one would have me!"

Eclipse is out today in the UK, so here's a few more of my videos from the London press conference! Stay tuned this weekend for more and let me know when you've seen the film — or if you saw it at the preview screenings last weekend! Here, Ashley Greene talks about her favourite book in the Twilight series, her favourite place in the world and tells us how the cast socialise. Enjoy!

On theTwilight Saga's success:

To watch more clips, just read more

I attended the Eclipse UK premiere in London last week and chatted to Ashley Greene on the red carpet. She looked stunning in her silver dress as she made her way around the crowds in Leicester Square signing autographs, and she told me what it was like being on the receiving end of all the Twilight fans' devotion. Be sure to turn it up to hear her over the excited crowd!

To hear what Ashley told us about her diet and exercise routine going into the movie, just read more

We've got a UK exclusive scene from Letters to Juliet. Watch the key moment when Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) finds a letter in the wall which leads her to search for Claire’s (Vanessa Redgrave) long-lost love. This story, based on the real-life "secretaries of Juliet", is one of the great films out this month, so be sure to check out the US editors' interviews with Amanda and the male stars. The majority of you are looking forward to seeing it when it's released at UK cinemas on 9 June. Check out the clip below to get even more excited!

Lots of celebrities have been training hard in preparation for Sunday's London Marathon. We were lucky enough to catch up with TV presenters Rich McCourt and Dominic Wood, aka Dick and Dom, who spilled the beans on the secrets of their preparation. From their music and movie inspirations to the celebs they'd most like to beat to the finish line, they revealed all!

• On their training playlist:
  Dom: "The entire collection of Rocky films' theme tunes... POWER TRAINING."
  Dick: "Anything up beat but the Rocky soundtrack is always a winner!"
• On their sporting inspirations:
  Dom: "Ian Rush who was a footy player for Liverpool in the 80s... looked like a Chuckle Brother, played like a demon!"
• On their sports movie inspirations:
  Dick: "The bob sleigh team in the film Cool Runnings, just shows you can do anything if you really want."

To find out which celebs they'd most like to run with, who they'd most like to beat, and what they're looking forward to after the marathon, just read more