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— by Corey Moss
In "Ocean's Twelve," Brad Pitt's hotel-owning character is called in to console one of his customers, Topher Grace.
Grace, who also made a cameo as himself in "Ocean's Eleven," is all out of sorts and confesses that he "totally phoned in that Dennis Quaid movie."
Of the numerous far-fetched moments in "Ocean's Twelve" this might be the most untrue — just ask Quaid.
"He was so right on," Quaid said. "He was really able to walk that fine line of being funny and, at the same time, being very real."
"That Dennis Quaid movie" Grace refers to is called "In Good Company," and a better description might be "that Topher Grace movie."
As Carter Duryea, a young advertising exec brought in to head a seasoned sales team led by the much older Quaid's character, Grace steals the show, beginning as the film's antagonist and slowly morphing into the protagonist. For an actor on the verge of a major career shift, it's a pivotal, breakthrough performance.
"I liked that he was able to not be Mr. Nice Guy the whole time," said writer and director Paul Weitz, whose credits include "About a Boy" and "American Pie." "I needed to believe that he was capable of firing Dennis Quaid, 'cause that was the jeopardy for Dennis. I liked that Topher's instinct was not to sort of wink at the camera and say, 'I'm really just a nice guy, nothing bad is gonna happen.' "
The role was certainly a challenge for Grace, who is famous for his work on "That '70s Show" but has made only five movies ("Traffic," "Mona Lisa Smile," "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" and the indie hit "P.S." are the other four).
"It was a really delicate balance," he said. "It's great to be an actor who can play someone who changes — basically he does a 180 during the movie — but we didn't film this movie in order, so it was a big rehearsal process with Paul Weitz, who would say, 'Here's where he is in this scene; here's where he is by this scene.' And Paul's a genius. You don't get to work with a lot of geniuses."
Working with Weitz was part of the film's appeal for Grace, but not all of it.
"I like making out with Scarlett Johansson, that was definitely a part of the character that I enjoyed," he said with a smile.
Johansson, still red-hot from "Lost in Translation," plays Quaid's daughter, the first to see the good in Grace's all-about-the-bottom-line character. When she and Carter fall for each other, it brings trouble for everyone.
"He's a really great, young actor, which is rare," Johansson said. "I think he could have gone very campy and obnoxious with the role, because at times, his character can be quite jerky. But he really had this wonderful balance between being this sort of sensitive, dorky loser — a painfully embarrassing guy — and then also being this really confident, sexy guy who knew what he was doing at his job and could take charge and who was a leader."
Johansson was also apparently impressed with another of Grace's attributes.
"When we finished our make-out scene — which was, like, all day, 'cause I kept asking, 'One more! One more, I think I can nail it this time!' — I said to her, sarcastically, 'What's the best screen kiss you've ever had?' " Grace recalled. "And I guess that she didn't get that I was being sarcastic and she said, 'Um, you.' I was like. 'Oh my God, stop the presses, are you serious?' And then I made an announcement to the entire crew: 'Excuse me, everyone. Quiet! Scarlett Johansson said that I am her best screen kiss.' "
Weitz, who worked in the mailrooms of big companies while growing up in New York, got the idea for "In Good Company" as he watched friends worry over the mergers that have rocked the corporate world in recent years.
"A lot of people have a lot of experience and talent, and at the point where they should be getting the big promotion, they get the big pink slip," Weitz said. "And [regarding Grace's character], I can definitely identify with a guy who has a horrible personal life but manages to forget about that by being work-obsessed, 'cause that's happened in my life too."
"It read like a Neil Simon play," Johansson said of the script, referring to the great playwright. "It was a really great ensemble and all the characters were explored."
"It's a film that has substance, but at the same time it's lighthearted. You're able to laugh at yourself," Quaid added. "I loved that it was about ordinary people in ordinary circumstances, and these little events that add up to the big drama of our lives. This was a guy who believed in his life and his family and his job, and was one of the heroes in the world who gets up every morning, goes to work nine-to-five — and his life gets turned upside down in one day."
For Grace, it was a movie that was really about something, which is a necessity for the actor.
"That doesn't mean [a film has] to be like 'The Hours,' it doesn't have to make you wanna kill yourself afterwards, but as long as it's dealing with a real issue," he explained. "It could be a light romantic comedy — as long as there's something. These things take three months to film, or four months, in this case. You really commit a lot of time and effort to it, so there's gotta be some reason why you're there."
Grace has yet to select his next film, as he's currently focusing on enjoying his final season on "That '70s Show."
"It's heartbreaking, because there's no funner job in the universe than being one of those six kids," he said. "I was in my teens when I started. It's ridiculous to even try to imagine my life without being able to laugh all day with those five people. I never cry, like ever, but I have a feeling it's coming."
"In Good Company" opens in selected cities December 29 and nationwide in January.
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Photo: Universal
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