Ashton Kutcher Discusses 'The Beauty' Season Finale and Character Motivations

'The Beauty' Season Finale: Unpacking Byron Forst's Downfall and Kutcher's Craft

The Beauty Season Finale: Key Developments Unfold

The first season finale of the FX horror drama "The Beauty" delivered a series of pivotal plot twists, fundamentally altering the trajectory of its central character, Byron Forst. Byron Forst (Ashton Kutcher) experienced a profound change of heart regarding his controversial pharmaceutical product. This shift came after a traumatic event involving his wife, Franny (Isabella Rossellini and Nicola Peltz Beckham), who was forcibly administered the drug by her sons and subsequently attempted suicide.

Upon learning that STI transfers of The Beauty were causing severe deformities, including turning some infected individuals into monsters or children, Byron decided to halt the product's distribution, offer free boosters, and address harm caused.

However, Byron's attempt to rectify the damage faced immediate opposition. His sons, in a significant betrayal, collaborated with Dr. Diana (Ari Graynor), federal agents, and the Assassin (Anthony Ramos) to target him. The season concluded with crucial questions left unanswered, leaving viewers to ponder the fate of several key characters. The outcome of Cooper's (Evan Peters and Hudson Barry) restoration attempt remains unknown, as does Byron's ultimate future.

Ashton Kutcher on Portraying Byron Forst

Ashton Kutcher offered insights into his complex portrayal of Byron Forst and his experience working on "The Beauty." He singled out a deleted monologue from an advertising campaign writers' room as a particularly enjoyable scene to film. Kutcher also highlighted a critical living room monologue where Byron attempts to sell his vision. This scene was designed to introduce deliberate ambiguity about Byron's morality to the viewer.

Kutcher elaborated on the careful crafting of Byron's character, particularly in a scene where Byron watches Sara's family after their transformation. He revealed filming three distinct versions of this scene—nefarious, non-nefarious, and ambiguous—with the ambiguous version ultimately being selected for the final cut to maintain the character's complexity.

Kutcher expressed his belief that no individual is entirely good or bad, asserting that deep-seated pain often influences character actions.

Addressing Byron's remorse after his wife's actions, Kutcher suggested a genuine depth to his feelings. He believes Byron genuinely loves and admires Franny, especially evident when she is unconscious and he is alone with her. The dynamic of Byron's arguments with Isabella Rossellini's character was also discussed, with Kutcher interpreting these conflicts as reflecting Byron's underlying desire for his wife's approval, despite the verbal sparring.

Kutcher detailed his commitment to technical consistency in his performance. He recounted preparing for the role by studying Vincent D'Onofrio's performances, who played a pre-Beauty Byron. During this preparation, Kutcher discovered D'Onofrio was left-handed and intentionally adopted this trait for his own portrayal. He described this as a technically challenging but necessary detail to maintain continuity for the character.