Topher Grace, 26
Why: Since 1998, Topher Grace, 26, has ventured away from hit Fox skein "That '70s Show" only a few times, most notably to play a spoiled rich kid who gets Michael Douglas' daughter hooked on drugs in "Traffic."
Now in his last year on the series, he's getting the chance to show that he's more than a wisecracking, wig-wearing sitcom star, thanks to buzzed-about turns opposite Laura Linney in "P.S." and with Scarlett Johansson and Dennis Quaid in "In Good Company."
Says Debbie Romano, who cast Topher in "That '70s Show," "Topher has made such smart decisions. He waited a long time to do something like Traffic' because he didn't want to do something like Scream,' he wanted to do something that was really classy. It was a difficult role and he totally held his own opposite Michael Douglas, which I thought was huge."
Newmarket's Bob Berney says of Topher in "P.S.," which his company is distributing, "I feel like a big surprise in the film is Topher being discovered in his first adult performance."
Romano adds, "He's gone on to show that he's capable of a lot of different things, and I think he'll be around for a long time. I think he has matured into his looks and found an inner confidence in what he does, and that translates onscreen."
Quote: "I'm at an awesome place in my career where I'm totally happy admitting how green I am," he recently told Entertainment Weekly. "I'm not trying to prove that I know more than I do. This is an interesting time for me. Everything's kind of up in the air."
What's next: Nothing firm lined up beyond "In Good Company," although rumors have him playing Jimmy Olson in the new "Superman" film.
