Who doesn’t remember Eric Foreman, played by Topher Grace, in ‘That ’70s Show’? It was a career starter for several newcomers such as Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. So, how did Grace transition from a sitcom to ‘Spider-Man’? Sure, his character was amazing with sarcasm and wit brimming. But what mesmerized people was his ability to remain kind because he didn’t know another way to behave. His expressions, style, and acting distinguished him from his peers and that’s why Sam Raimi, the director of ‘Spider-Man 3‘ approached him. Raimi was looking for a character who could play the role of Venom.
Venom is a symbiote alien that attaches itself to Peter Parker and alters his personality. But once he gets rid of it, Topher Grace, who played the role of Eddie Brock, the journalist, acquires the symbiote. He then becomes the evil version of Spider-Man popularly known as Venom. Interestingly, Grace was already familiar with this character because he had been a huge Venom fan. He had read all the comics so he knew what he was getting into.
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Was Topher Grace Miscast In ‘Spider-Man’?
In 2004, Topher Grace was part of ‘In Good Company’, and his acting impressed many. That’s when Sami Raimi went to him with the offer for ‘Spider-Man’. Eventually, things worked out for him but the film didn’t really work much with the audience. With too many villains and the storyline becoming complex and unnecessary at times, disappointed the audience.
Looking back at his role as Venom, Grace definitely feels that he was miscast and that he wasn’t meant for the role. Now that he has watched Tom Hardy play the villain in the standalone film, he feels that Hardy does justice to it. He genuinely watched the movie as a fan because it was so different from his role. ‘Venom‘, directed by Ruben Fleischer excited Grace because it followed the Marvel comic storyline and not the one that Sam Raimi had presented.
When he watched the film, he realized that the character played by Hardy was the best and he acted just the way he was supposed to. He had seen Hardy’s performance as a villain in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, and he knew that Hardy could any day play a comic book villain.
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Topher Grace’s Career Trajectory
Topher Grace went on to star in a number of films after his role as Venom in ‘Spider-Man 3‘. Some of these include ‘Valentine’s Day’, ‘Predators’, ‘The Double’, ‘War Machine’, and ‘Delirium’. He was even a part of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar.
In 2018, he was the only actor whose two films were presented at the Cannes Film Festival. ‘Under the Silver Lake’ and ‘BlacKkKlansman’ won wide appreciation from the critics.
He revealed that he had more than enough in his bank account to not work his entire life. That’s when he decided that he needs to go for quality roles now and work auteurs. Even if the role is small, what matters is the presence of auteurs who will teach him plenty. He worked with directors such as David Michod, Christopher Nolan, Spike Lee, and David Robert Mitchell. He plans to follow this path and surprise everyone with the kind of roles he is taking.
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