Given the light-hearted and formulaic approach of several sitcoms, actors associated with this medium can often struggle to transition into more dramatic roles. Although the notion of TV being a lesser art form than films and theatre has softened in recent years, thanks to the rise of prestige TV, this wasn’t exactly the case when Topher Grace opted to shift to the stage.
Even though That ’70s Show pushed Grace to stardom in the first place, his sitcom roots came back to haunt him when he started auditioning for the off-Broadway play, Lonely I’m Not.
Topher Grace’s stage debut took him back to his nervous That ’70s Show days
While it was Topher Grace’s performance in a school play that fast-tracked his casting to That ’70s Show, it wasn’t until 2012’s Lonely I’m Not that he finally decided to turn back to his roots. Interestingly, the Spider-Man 3 star was initially eyeing a movie adaptation of the play after a successful reading with Olivia Thirlby, but director Paul Weitz “kind of pushed me to do it.”
However, being a new stage actor, Topher Grace was having nightmares while projecting on stage, and it also didn’t help that some people in the back started shouting (via Vanity Fair), “Hey, sitcom boy, speak up.” He added,
I’ve never projected before, so I just went and read with an actress in the theater to see if I could do it. The Second Stage Theatre is the right kind of size for a new stage actor. But I was having nightmares when I was half-thinking of doing it—someone in the back row kind of yelling, ‘Hey, sitcom boy, speak up.’ I have been really reminded of the first couple of years on *[That ’70s Show].
Reflecting on it, Grace recalled that those comments took him back to his first take of the pilot from That ’70s Show, in which the director came to his aid after his first reading off-screen. As for his off-Broadway debut, the play did open to positive reviews, marking a positive beginning to his stage run. But post-Lonely I’m Not‘s success, Grace started prioritizing his movie career.
An injury accidentally made Topher Grace a sitcom commodity
Although his off-Broadway debut proved to be a whole new ball game for the Spider-Man 3 star, ironically, it was a school play that earned him the recognition among That ’70s Show producers Bonnie and Terry Turner. This had to do with the actor’s ankle sprain, which prevented him from partaking in his tennis match, eventually leading to his involvement in the school play (via Entertainment Weekly).
I had a weird origin story where I was in a high school play, and I was really only in that because I sprained my ankle, and I couldn’t be on the tennis team.
As a result, upon enrolling at USC in Los Angeles, Grace was offered to audition for Eric, and the rest is history.
That ’70s Show is available to stream on Peacock.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
