Topher Grace had a great run on That ‘70s Show as Eric Forman, and it was very rewarding to see him reprise his role earlier this year on the sequel series That ‘90s Show. While Grace is best known for his work on television, he’s also had a fascinating film career in which he’s played both leading roles and interesting character parts.
Even if Grace only appears in a film for a brief scene, he’s generally very memorable and has always maintained the charisma that made Eric such a likable character in the first place. His talents have led to these roles being his best.
'Spider-Man 3' (2007)
Spider-Man 3 was stung with a lot of criticism upon its initial release, with many critics taking issue with Grace’s performance as Eddie Brock/Venom in particular. While the film itself is a flawed, yet interesting project from Sam Raimi, Grace certainly didn’t deserve to be the butt of a joke.
He perfectly played a campy version of the character as Raimi had attempted, and in the wake of Tom Hardy’s success in the very campy Venom films, that may be the version that works best for the character.
'American Ultra' (2015)
American Ultra is an underrated action comedy that perfectly combines the action spectacle of a spy movie like The Bourne Identity with the stoner humor of Dazed and Confused. Jesse Eisenberg stars as a wacky stoner who discovers that he’s a secret government agent, and fights past a government conspiracy to rescue his girlfriend (Kristen Stewart).
Grace plays a supporting role as the incompetent Agent Adrian Yates, whose plan to capture the duo blows up in his face. He adds a touch of levity to what could have been a humorless government-goon character.
'Take Me Home Tonight' (2011)
Of all the characters Grace has played in film, Matt Franklin in Take Me Home Tonight feels like the closest thing to a grown up version of Eric Forman. Matt is a romantic hero trying to win back the girl of his dreams, even though he’s clearly in a state of arrested development and can’t get over the issues that dominated his high school years.
In addition to starring in it, Grace also co-wrote and executive produced Take Me Home Tonight. The film’s screenplay delicately balances 1980s nostalgia several years before Stranger Things popularized the concept.
'Traffic' (2000)
Grace has a small, yet critical role in Steven Soderbergh’s epic crime masterpiece Traffic, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director. Grace appears as Seth Abrahams, a sketchy teenager who manages to get his girlfriend Caroline (Erika Christensen) hooked on illegal drugs.
Things get complicated when Caroline becomes an addict and her father, the judge Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), must come to her rescue. It was admirable that Grace took on the role in the midst of That ‘70s Show’s success, as Seth couldn’t be a character more different than Eric.
'Truth' (2015)
Truth is an underrated journalism thriller that looks at the controversy behind the 60 Minutes news report on President George W. Bush’s military service that resulted in the firing of Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) and the role that Dan Rather (Robert Redford) played in the story. Grace appears as the journalist Mike Smith, a somewhat quirky character who isn’t above using non-official means to nab a source.
While he does add a touch of comedy to a film that deals with very serious subject material regarding journalist ethics, Grace convincingly captures the persona of a hardworking reporter who is desperate to find the truth.
'War Machine' (2017)
War Machine is one of the most underrated films that Netflix has ever debuted. The David Michod-directed dark comedy tells the story of General Glen McMahon (Brad Pitt) a character clearly inspired by the real U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal. Michod uses a style akin to The Big Short to detail America’s invasion of Iraq over the course of two Presidencies.
Grace co-stars as McMahon’s chief media critic, Mike Little. Mike is a former lobbyist who knows his way around Washington D.C., and realizes that McMahon is just a tool in a much larger issue.
'Predators' (2010)
Predators is perhaps the most underrated entry in the entire Predator franchise; rather than trapping a group of characters on Earth with a predator, the film ships off a band of felons and criminals to the predators’ home planet to survive a war between two races of the creature.
Grace pops up as Edwin, the lackey of the group, surprisingly ends up being a serial killer. It’s hard to imagine someone as inherently likable and humorous as Grace playing such a dark character, but he pulls off the twist with his dynamic performance.
'Under the Silver Lake' (2018)
Under the Silver Lake is a brilliant deconstruction of toxic masculinity, conspiracy theories, and the objectification of women by the Internet, the media, and the history of Hollywood. Andrew Garfield stars as the conspiracy theorist Sam, who literally goes down the rabbit hole as he tries to find a girl (Riley Keough) that won his heart.
Sam is a completely unlikable protagonist, and Grace has a hilarious supporting role as one of his skeevy friends. It’s amusing to watch two actors known for their charisma having such deadbeat conversations when they talk about their respective relationship status.
'Interstellar' (2014)
While Interstellar has a massive cast (as most Christopher Nolan films do), Grace has a very important supporting role as Getty, the scientist that wins the heart of the grown-up version of Cooper’s (Matthew McConaughey) beloved young daughter Murph (Jessica Chastain).
Nolan is often criticized for his inability to write convincing romantic dialogue, but the relationship between Getty and Murphy works very well, as they both share a natural passion for science. Their final embrace comes at the perfect moment, as it’s after a critical breakthrough in their research process.
'BlacKkKlansman' (2018)
Grace is absolutely unrecognizable in Spike Lee’s 2018 masterpiece BlacKkKlansman as David Duke, the real leader of the Klu Klux Klan. Grace takes everything about his personality that is inherently charming and turns it on his head for a performance that captures the essence of a gross, detestable racist, and terrorist leader.
Grace turns Duke into a pathetic, ridiculous idiot who almost goes out of his way to show his lack of intelligence when he’s unable to recognize the real Ron Stallworth (John David Washington). It becomes scary when the audience realizes he has actual power.