INT: Topher Grace
I’ve always hated the term “date movie”, because most films labeled as such are invariably chick flicks in disguise. For examples, check out WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, or any film by Cameron Crowe. Sure, they may look like “date movies”, but they’re overflowing with estrogen, so much so that you’ll find yourself checking your testicles every so often just to make sure they’re still there.
That’s not to say they’re not entertaining.
Hollywood’s latest “date movie”, WIN
A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON!, is a fun flick packed with
some pretty clever comedy, much of which is supplied by "That
Seventies Show" veteran Topher Grace.
Topher (short for Christopher, in case you were wondering)
joined us at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills to talk about Tad,
tennis, and "That Seventies Show".
TOPHER GRACE
What
attracted you to the project?
It’s a very clear, direct plot, which I think is really
good for comedy. You’re
not getting bogged down by it going off in a million directions.
I mean, from the poster you know exactly what the situation
is, and I think that’s really good for comedies.
So when I read the script, I thought it was such a simple,
perfect idea. And I really
loved the character because it’s kind of hard to find – smart,
good, the guy I would want to hang out with – who I’m not, by
the way.
There are two parts you can play as an actor: the guy you
want to be, and the buy you are. It’s
the difference between Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks. I think what’s great about this film is that it has both guys in
it. And it was great using
improv to be able to heighten that friction in scenes like the
wood-chopping scene. We kind
of improv’d the shirt thing.
How
do you keep this character from becoming Ducky (from Pretty In
Pink)?
I know, right? That was a big issue. I had never seen PRETTY IN PINK, but I was told by everyone what the pitfalls were. And this character has been played like a zillion times. But this guy is not a victim of anything, except circumstance. Really horrible circumstance, where he’s about to tell this girl that he likes her and she starts dating Brad Pitt. It just can’t get any worse than that. But he doesn’t have to be a loser to, you know, define Brad Pitt. He can still be a great guy.
What
was the atmosphere like on the set?
Robert (Luketic) is great about keeping a really light
atmosphere, which is great for comedy.
He keeps it really upbeat, and fast-moving, too.
You can’t really do a comedic scene over a period of 14
hours. It just falls apart.
He knows when he has it.
This
is the second time you’ve worked with Ginnifer Goodwin.
Well, we did MONA LISA SMILE together, and she was tremendous
in that film. I was having
dinner with Robert and Kate and we were talking about the role of
Kathy and I said, “There’s this girl that you won’t know about
until December 2003, but she’s perfect for this role.”
And it was so great to have, you know, one of your best
friends on the set.
Tell
us a little bit about her. What’s
she like?
Ginny’s tremendous. I
find it very hard to befriend actors.
They’re an interesting group.
They’re very self-centered.
I mean, this movie is a stereotype of an actor – it’s
very true. It’s very
special when you meet people who want to play at the same level you
do.
I’m like an actor every day. I’m not like, once a week an actor. It’s actually very hard to make friends at work, because you’re surrounded by actors. Not that I don’t love the acquaintances I have – and I have many of them – but it’s wonderful when you actually...
What
about Kate Bosworth?
Kate and I grew up in the same town.
I’ve known Kate – I’ve known of Kate since I was really
young. I think I chaperoned a
field trip that she was on. She
was the girl from THE HORSE WHISPERER.
And I think my sister was on her soccer team.
And then I knew her kind of in the whole Hollywood circuit
out here when she moved out and made BLUE CRUSH.
I mean, this was a hard film to make – they’re all hard
to make. And I can’t
imagine doing it on a surf board. I
remember when she was prepping for that, too.
She was actually learning to surf.
And I was like, “You give me the part and maybe I’d learn
to surf.”
And
Josh Duhamel?
Josh (Duhamel) is a terrific guy, the hardest worker I’ve
ever scene. That’s the
hardest role ever – kind of a dick, but you don’t play it like a
dick.
You’ve
got a lot of movies coming out.
The movies – I did three movies this year, which is a lot
– wouldn’t be so bad if I wasn’t doing a TV show. I mean, I love doing the show (That Seventies Show), just
time-wise, it’s like a daily...what is great is that this show is
kind of a home-base, emotionally. I’ve
known those kids since I was eighteen.
I would do Seventies show forever, but it will end, and I
want to, once it’s done, be able to continue acting.
Because I love it.
How
much fun is it on the Seventies set?
I think you can tell how much fun we’re having. I couldn’t imagine a better job than being with those five kids, just screwing around all week, which is what we do. We just shot one last night before the premiere. It was hilarious – Donna finds me masturbating. You only elude to that on television, like that Seinfeld episode. It’s hilarious. The audience ate it up.
How
much longer do you think it will last?
The one with Topher in it? One
year. Ashton and I both
signed on for next year.
Did
you always want to be an actor?
I wanted to be a pro tennis player.
I was varsity all four years in high school.
Then I twisted my ankle – twice – senior year and tried
out for the high school play. From that play I got cast in "That Seventies Show".
Some producer saw me in the play and my first audition was
for Seventies. I took that as
a sign and kind of hung up the racket. Oh, and I played a ranked tennis player – not even a
highly-ranked player – and I got my ass handed to me. I think it was a joke that I thought I could have been a pro tennis
player, but that was dream in high school.
Can
you tell us a little bit about Synergy?
I start SYNERGY in a month. Dennis
Quaid is having this mid-life crisis and then his company gets
bought by this big conglomerate and I play his new boss.
Scarlet Johansson plays his daughter and we start dating.
It’s kind of another one of those triangles.
Is
it a comedy?
It’s a – what do they call it? Dramedy. Or Comeda.
Do
you know how That Seventies Show will end?
I think we’ve settled on how the show is going to end, I
think. And it’s an amazing
idea. I hope it’s what we
think it’s going to be. I
hope they don’t try to do a spin-off or something and not let us
end it the way we want to end it.
Can
you give us a hint?
It will probably involve the eighties.
Source: JoBlo.com
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