Kutcher 'ready for more varied roles'

Ashton Kutcher has said that he hopes to leave behind his image as a prankster in order to focus on more varied acting roles.

Kutcher is currently appearing alongside Natalie Portman in Ivan Reitman's comedy No Strings Attached, and admits that it has been hard to shake off the stigma of his early roles.

"I think as much as I want to stretch as an actor and try different things, you can only do what you're given to do," Kutcher told the Los Angeles Times. "You have to put yourself in a position to do other things.

"I think [No Strings Attached] will give me the opportunity to try some other things," Kutcher added.

"I think he's a really intelligent, committed guy who's mostly been doing kind of boy parts for the last bunch of years," Reitman explained. "Dude, Where's My Car? and Punk'd have informed our view of him, but really, he's this smart, caring, very talented man who's ready to play an adult."

No Strings Attached will be released in cinemas on January 21.