Back in the 90s Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace played four loveable teenagers in the sitcom, That '70s Show.  Today Netflix had the premiere of the spinoff series 'That '90s Show  two decades later from the original show. The show stars upcoming actor Reyn Doi who plays an openly gay and perceptive teen who hangs out with a bunch of friends in the summer of 1995. 

We got to chat to Doi about his role in the sitcom, his upcoming movie 'The Outlaws' and new year resolutions. 

Firstly, I would like to say Happy New Year! As this year brings new TV shows and films, I’m looking forward to seeing you on my screen. I also want to add I am a fan of That '70s Show, I’ve seen the trailer for the new adaptation, That '90s Show multiple of times. It gives me so much excitement to see the new generation take over an amazing, funny, and heart-warming TV show. 

Can you tell us more about the character you play, Ozzie?

Ozzie is very honest, he’s very straightforward and he enjoys being in a group where they accept him. He can be judgmental at times, but also he has a sweet side to him. He will reveal and express his emotions sometimes to people he can trust. He will become vulnerable and you’ll see glimpses of that in the show. I’m excited for the audience to meet Ozzie. 

What was the audition process like?

The producers wanted to see me for a callback after I had sent the audition in. When they wanted to meet, I was in Atlanta filming another Netflix movie called “The Outlaws”. We were staying in a hotel so I did the zoom-in on the bathroom and used an ice bucket to make sure the camera was in line with my face. It wasn’t the first room I would choose to meet with the producers, but it gave me good luck because I ended up getting the role!

With That 90’s Show, a lot of the humor is based around teenage lifestyle and coming of age, is there any material you’ve taken from other 90’s movies or tv shows or any coming of age movies to help build your character? 

I did watch “That 70s Show” when I found out I got the part, so I watched “That 70s Show” to get the feel and vibe of how we would be filming. Watching gave me a lot of knowledge and I ended up loving the original, so it made me super excited to start filming our show. 

If you had the opportunity to be in a scene with any of those That '70s Show characters, which one do you think Ozzie would get along with the most?

Ozzie has some great scenes with Red and Kitty. He loves Kitty, and he’s okay with Red. Ozzie has some attitude towards Red, so I hope that Ozzie will have more scenes with Red. There’s a great interrogation scene in the kitchen that I got to film with Debra Jo and Kurtwood, working with them was an absolute dream come true and the two of them are just so talented and professional. The three of us have such great chemistry that we finished the scene in like 3 takes! Also, there is another episode that is focused on Ozzie, and he has a really nice heart-to-heart moment with Kitty. 

Was there anything or anyone who inspired you to become an actor?

When I was young, I was the emcee for my preschool performances, and parents would come up to me and say, “You’re so good at talking and performing in front of people and at such a young age.” Then years later, I came out to LA for a workshop, but I never thought I would be here today with my career. Everything happened naturally for me and I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve received from my team and my parents.

With the new year, do you have any new year’s resolutions? For me, I need to get on that Marvel fitness regime. Whenever anyone gets cast in a Marvel movie… BAM! Ripped! 

I definitely hope that the show will be successful because I love working with the amazing cast, crew, producers, etc. But, I would love to work on other projects as well, hopefully, a film, but we’ll see what 2023 has in store for me. “The Outlaws” (the movie I filmed in Atlanta) is scheduled to release sometime this year, so I do have that to look forward to as well as the release of our show!

That 90's Show is now streaming on Netflix starring Reyn Doi.