Wilmer Valderrama describes terrifying plane incident in new book

In his new book Wilmer Valderrama recalled a frightening experience that became a turning point in the way he approached his life in Hollywood.

“A group of actors and insiders fly back to Hollywood from New Orleans after the Super Bowl, but nothing about this flight runs smoothly,” wrote 44-year-old Valderrama in An American story: everyone is invitedTuesday September 17. “A winter storm is raging through the sky and the mood on board is shaky.”

Valderrama was with him “in a small chartered plane.” That 70’s show costars Ashton Kutcher And Danny Mastersonas well as Colin Hanks and a handful of other friends.

“There’s nothing outside but darkness and sleet,” he continued. “The plane goes up, down, from left to right. I feel light-headed. It becomes difficult to breathe. Oxygen masks are falling from the ceiling and I wonder if they fell because the turbulence shook them loose or if something else is going on.”

Related: ‘That ’70s Show’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

That ’70s show managed to cultivate some of the most iconic moments in pop culture history. It is also responsible for putting younger stars Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Wilmer Valderrama and Danny Masterson in the spotlight. That ’70s Show, created by Mark Brazill, Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner, focused on a […]

After asking the pilot – who had already put on “a full air force mask, much larger than ours” – Valderrama and his friends sprang into action.

“We’re messing with our masks. There is definitely something wrong with this plane,” the actor wrote. ‘Colin has a death grip on the arms of his chair. Ashton’s jaw drops to his lap. … Our plane is crashing.”

According to the captain, carbon monoxide filled the interior of the plane because “an oxygen valve remained stuck.” The effects were noticeable.

Masterson, 48, told his co-stars, “I have no feeling in my arm,” prompting Valderrama and Kutcher, 46, to “share one mask” and give Masterson an extra. The pilot informed the passengers that they had to land, but that they were “still a long way from home.”

“I’m having a hard time imagining a best-case scenario if we crash high on a mountainside and they can’t find us,” Valderrama recalls. ‘Ashton will be wondering who to eat first. It’s probably me because he likes Latin American food.’

After an “incredibly turbulent” landing, the plane reached the ground safely. “We cheered, but it feels like a life has just passed. It is not a happy cheer,” Valderrama wrote. “It’s a shaky cheer, like we’re all trying to process what just happened.”

The emergency landing caused the group to be delayed in El Paso, Texas, on their way back to California. While waiting for another plane to pick them up, Valderrama called his mother. “I’m not telling her what happened,” he wrote. ‘I don’t want to worry her. All I say is, ‘I love you.’”

Valderrama did not specify when exactly the incident occurred, but he noted that it was “a few years ago That 70’s show”, which debuted in 1998. Although the version of the story that reached the press at the time was somewhat exaggerated, Valderrama has not stopped thinking about what he experienced.

When That 70’s show After lockdown in 2006, Valderrama entered his ‘hiatus years’, which gave him time to travel and ‘process these bigger questions’ about the future of his career. He eventually returned to the industry, but he was picky about the roles he wanted to take on. One of those roles was Dell Gordo Larry Kroonco-written and directed by Tom Hankswho gave him “some of the best lessons about life and professionalism I had ever seen.”

Valderrama also got some advice from Johnny Depp in the aftermath of the plane incident, when he felt like he was “burning the candle at both ends.” The duo were put in touch through an agent, who arranged to meet Depp, 61, while he was filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Depp encouraged Valderrama to “focus on one character at a time” and “bet on yourself” to find success.

“[After we talk]I think: what if my life had ended on the plane that day? Valderrama wrote. ‘We are all going to die someday, and we have to prepare for the future. But it is also important to live here and now.”

An American story: everyone is invited is now available.