Yelling by Ashton Kutcher turned out to be my wakeup call: Nico Tortorella

American actor-model Nico Tortorella recalled an "embarrassing" moment when producer Ashton Kutcher allegedly yelled at them for getting high at a cast party.

The actor who is identified as a "queer, non-binary, bisexual" remembered that the yelling proved to be a wake-up call for him, Tortorella told PEOPLE.

"As a queer person, unfortunately, the way that we usually find each other is in bars," the star said.

"It really lends to the fostering of addiction and alcohol and drug issues. I obviously went down that path quite a few times in my life. Only when I was really able to let go of that crutch was I able to really find myself."

Tortorella's many drug- and alcohol-parties used to last for long before they achieved self-controlled. The star was a complete drug addict when Kutcher intervened.

Only 21, Tortorella was starring in 'The Beautiful Life', a 2009 TV series about models which was partially based on Kutcher's life. The young actor was at a cast party when they approached Kutcher to ask for career advice and later they went to a restroom to get high on cocaine.

"Don't ever put anything up your nose," Kutcher told Tortorella.

"I'd literally just come out of the bathroom from doing a handful of key bumps. Ashton's a smart dude, and he very quickly realized I was high. He got in my face and started yelling at me, telling me I was flushing my entire career down my nose in front of everyone, including Demi Moore and Bruce Willis," he added.

Though Tortorella was "embarrassed," after the incident they stood up to Kutcher.

"In my mind I was hyper-calm and in control, telling him this wasn't the place to have an argument like this," he said. "when in actuality my jaw was probably doing the Macarena as I was blaming everyone else."

The next morning, Tortorella regretted the outburst and worried they would get fired. Tortorella sent Kutcher a long apology email and Kutcher's reply on it was a short one.

"Life is not a dress rehearsal, Nico." Kutcher allegedly wrote back. "You either show up, or you're out.