Growing up, Topher Grace didn’t consider acting his forte and initially aspired to make it big as a professional tennis player. But as the story goes, his aspirations in the realm of tennis took a backseat to the actor’s feats in acting, with That ’70s Show serving as Grace’s breakout gig, which pushed him to new heights.
While Grace has continued to excel at the medium, especially after jumping to big-screen releases, things could’ve been entirely different had he not landed an injury before one of his tennis matches.
Topher Grace’s Sheer Luck Contributed to His Casting in That ‘70s Show
Speaking of his big break in acting, Topher Grace revealed that he owed his entire career to one injury. Having done no major gigs before his casting in That ’70s Show, it was the actor’s performance in a high school play that garnered the attention of the sitcom’s producers.
After missing out on his tennis match following an ankle sprain, Grace opted to perform in a high school play instead (via EW). Fortunately for him, the set designer was the daughter of That ’70s Show‘s producers, Bonnie and Terry Turner, who were thoroughly impressed by his acting chops.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. 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.
This would eventually lead to him being offered the opportunity to audition for Eric in the sitcom after he moved to Los Angeles and enrolled at USC.
Topher Grace’s Experience at Dunkin’ Donuts Came in Handy During the Audition
Even though Grace’s stint in That ’70s Show was only his fifth acting gig at the time, Grace owned his part and became one of the major draws of the sitcom. As for his audition, the Spider-Man 3 star confessed that he had done no auditions up to that point, but thankfully, his experience at Dunkin’ Donuts assisted the actor in crafting a resume for the job.
I’d never auditioned for anything in my life. This is how green I was, they said, ‘Bring a headshot and a resume.’ Ok, I can do a resume because I worked at Dunkin’ Donuts, I worked at Sun Coast video; I know what that looks like…So I brought it, and it was like this terrible resume of jobs I did at the mall and the picture was me and my friends at Six Flags.
While it came as a shock to many when Grace decided to part ways with the sitcom before its final season, given his feats in the movie business, in hindsight, he did make the right call.
That ’70s Show is available to stream on Peacock.
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