Wilmer Valderrama is grateful to be alive today.
In his new book, “An American Story: Everyone’s Invited,” the “That 70s Show” star detailed a terrifying plane incident that left him questioning everything from his career to what really matters in life.
“A group of actors and insiders is flying back to Hollywood from New Orleans after the Super Bowl, but nothing is smooth about this flight,” Valderrama, 44, wrote in his memoir, per US Weekly. “A winter storm rages across the skies, and the mood on board is shaky.”
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Valderrama, who was traveling with “70s Show” costars Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson, as well as other friends including Colin Hanks, said the small plane began “pitching up, down, side to side.”
“I’m feeling lightheaded,” he wrote. “It’s getting hard to breathe. Oxygen masks drop from the ceiling, and I wonder if they dropped because the turbulence shook them loose or if it’s something else.”
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According to Valderrama, the pilot had already put on “a full Air Force mask, far bigger than ours” before he realized the severity of the situation.
“We fumble with our masks. Something is definitely not right with this plane,” the actor wrote. “Colin clutches the armrests of his seat with a death grip. Ashton’s jaw has dropped to his lap. … Our plane is going down.”
According to the captain, wrote Valderrama, carbon monoxide was filling the interior of the plane because “an oxygen valve got stuck closed.”
“I have no feeling in my arm,” Masterson told his costars, Valderrama recalled. At that point, Valderrama and Kutcher shared one mask while Masterson had the extra.
“I’m struggling to imagine a best-case scenario if we crash high on a mountainside and they can’t find us,” Valderrama wrote. “Ashton’s gonna wonder who to eat first. It’s probably gonna be me, because he loves Latin American food.”
Against all odds, the plane eventually landed safely.
“We let out a cheer, but it feels like a lifetime has just passed. It’s not a happy cheer,” Valderrama wrote. “It’s a wobbly cheer, like we’re all trying to process what just happened.”
While it’s unclear when the incident occurred, Valderrama said it left him questioning everything — particularly his career and the roles he wanted to take on.
He received life and career advice from seasoned actors such as Tom Hanks and Johnny Depp and came to one conclusion.
“What if my life had ended that day on the plane?” Valderrama wrote. “All of us are going to die someday, and we have to prepare for what’s next. But it’s also important to live here and now.”
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