By JON WATERHOUSE

For the AJC

If you thought that striking dude at the table next to you was Ashton Kutcher, you may have been right. The Hollywood A-lister spent a chunk of his summer in and around Atlanta shooting the film “Five Killers.”

In between trading lines with co-star Katherine Heigl, Kutcher could be found grabbing barbecue in Virginia-Highland and a memorable meal at Kevin Rathbun Steak. Yet even with a busy work schedule and a little ATL exploration, a swirl of other projects occupied Kutcher’s head space, including “Spread,” a saucy drama that opens in theaters Friday.

For “Spread,” Kutcher not only acts and dons the producer hat, but liberally disrobes for a bevy of sex scenes. He plays Nikki, a professional L.A. moocher who uses his hunkiness, charisma and bedroom artistry to woo wealthy women.

What do you think Atlanta?

I think Atlanta is fantastic. I think it’s an extraordinary city. It’s very hospitable. One thing I really like about Atlanta is there’s already a bit of an entertainment community here. There are interesting artists, interesting music, great culinary experiences; it already has a body of artists that exist here. And so the city has a great culture and a great vibe to it. And the people in Atlanta in general are open, welcoming, friendly. ...I’m a fan of Atlanta. I actually said that if I didn’t have to be in L.A., I wouldn’t mind living here. There aren’t a lot of places I would say that about. Because you can be in a metropolitan experience in Atlanta, then drive 30 minutes and be out in the country just chilling out. And I like that.

What attracted you to “Spread”?

I was actually looking for something specifically like this. I was looking for a character piece. I was looking for a tale about a morally compromised character. I was looking for a story about somebody who has high hopes and big dreams. And I think I was looking for something that was comedic in nature, but not a straight, broad comedy; something romantic in nature, but not a straight romance.

“Spread” is full of sex. How do you mentally prepare for that?

[Laughs] You kind of just do it. ...When all you’re wearing is a sock, you feel a little bit like Anthony Kiedis. You just kind of jump in there and do what you have to do. I don’t think you can really mentally prepare for that. ...So every scene except for one, I had a sock on. But the scene I didn’t have a sock on, I wasn’t actually having sex. I was just standing there having a conversation. ...Once everyone on the set has seen [you nude], it’s not like they’re going to see it again and think differently about you. ...It’s pretty awkward, but at the same time, it’s just being who you are, and you can’t change that. So what are you going to do?

When doing sex scenes, what sort of rapport do you have to have with a co-star?

You just have to trust each other, and that’s the key. Once you have a trust and a mutual respect for each other, it really is no different than holding hands. I know that sounds really, really weird. But when we’re doing a really emotionally raw, vulnerable scene, that’s actually more revealing than standing there naked. Like when you have a scene and you’re telling someone that you love them and you mean it, it’s 10 times more revealing and awkward as a human being than standing naked in front of someone. It just is. What would rather do? Cry in front of someone or just stand naked? For me, it was like, ‘OK, just tell me to stand naked.’ And then you’d probably cry after that.