LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Wilmer Valderrama vowed to 鈥渘ever let his family down鈥� the night that he landed his breakthrough role as foreign exchange student Fez on 鈥淭hat '70s Show.鈥�
鈥淚 have been given the chance to lift us all, and I won鈥檛 blow this incredible opportunity. Every performance I give will be the absolute best anyone has ever seen,鈥� he writes in his 鈥淎n American Story: Everyone鈥檚 Invited.鈥�
鈥淓veryone's Invited,鈥� released last month, chronicles his family鈥檚 journey as Venezuelan immigrants in the United States and a young boy鈥檚 dream to help his family while making his acting dreams a reality.
At 44, Valderrama says he鈥檚 stayed true to his teenage vow and has always felt a sense of urgency to provide his family with a 鈥渉appier life.鈥�
鈥淚 grew up in Venezuela, so, I was front row to understand how it all could have been. So, I鈥檓 just incredibly grateful. I don鈥檛 know if I can ever put my guard down,鈥� said the actor and producer.
Valderrama says he did not set out to release a memoir about his upbringing and career. The story unfolded as he reflected on his work with the United Service Organizations (USO), which brings entertainment to service members away from home.
鈥淚 started realizing, 鈥極h my God, every aspect of my life, kind of married, that thought鈥� (of service). And, you know, my team immediately was like, 鈥楧ude, this is a memoir,鈥欌�� he said.
Released during and in an Valderrama says the timing was 鈥渟erendipitous.鈥� He wanted to use the memoir as a way to remind the larger Latino community in the United States to own their stories and contributions.
鈥淚 think that our story as a community is so powerful, and we have to continue to remember that we belong,鈥� he said.
Throughout the book, Valderrama discusses his close relationships with his 鈥�70s show cast mates with much care and stays away from discussing scandals. He does not discuss scandals involving his co-star Danny Masterson, who was found guilty of two counts of rape in 2023 and is Valderrama also steers clear of stories that made him the subject of tabloid fascination. This includes his high-profile relationships with actors Demi Lovato and Lindsay Lohan.
When asked why he chose to opt out of mentioning his past relationships, Valderrama responded that his focus when writing this book was on the theme of service.
鈥淭he book is about my family 鈥� my mother, and my father鈥檚 story. I traveled with the USO for so many years; all of those stories, those brothers and sisters of uniform, kind of taught me so much about who protects the freedoms and all of that. And that was that鈥檚 what the book is about.鈥�
The only romantic relationship mentioned in the book is the one with his current fiancee Amanda Pacheco.
Valderrama and Pacheco both share a daughter and the actor hopes that one day, his young daughter will no longer have to worry about the lack of Latino representation in Hollywood.
鈥淚 certainly hope she can appreciate the fight that most of us had to do to actually open the gate for a lot of these things to be possible,鈥� he said.
His vow to his family is one that he has also made to his cultural community: to showcase their achievements for audiences who might not interact with Latinos on a daily basis.
鈥淚 hope there are a lot of conversations that can get started with the book so that we can remind ourselves how close to each other鈥檚 interests we really are and how much we have been pushed away from one another,鈥� Valderrama said.
Leslie Ambriz, The Associated Press
