Welcome to Topher Tracking!
2022: the year of booster shots and Eddie Brock
Happy New Year! For me, 2021 failed to live up to the hype. By the time Omicron Samara-crawled into my body, I was OVER IT.
I don’t know what to expect this year, but at least I have the cinematic works of Topher Grace to lift my spirits through any new variants, insurrections, environmental disasters, or Snyder cuts that 2022 brings.
What is Topher Tracking?
Topher Tracking is a newsletter for people who like movies and/or Topher Grace. Each month, I will review a film Topher Grace appears in.1 Subscribe to follow along as I build my case that Topher is the most underrated actor of our time.
Topher Tracking is written by me, Hunter! I like movies, runny cheeses, and boys. I first fell in love with Topher at age 14, watching reruns of That 70’s Show after growing tired of Desperate Housewives, Ghost Adventures, and Wife Swap (the world of mid-2000’s syndicated television was wild. Can somebody check on basic cable? I worry about her.)
Why Topher Grace?
He’s hot. Something about his doe eyes and Betty Spaghetty frame just do it for me. And YES I DID HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM AT 14! Honestly, he was a healthy diversion from middle-aged Kyle Maclachlan on Desperate Housewives.
He’s versatile. Topher is my favorite type of actor: an unfussy workhorse who seems to have genuine love for the craft. He took a stab at being a leading man in the 2000’s—a period I will analyze—before settling into character roles. Entertainment Weekly (my actual Bible growing up) once predicted Topher would be the next Tom Hanks. Instead, he’s become Paul Giamatti, which I like a lot more.
He was a theater kid. According to IMDb,2 Topher got his big break on That 70’s Show because the show’s creators saw him act in his high-school play. This is every theater kid’s dream. I definitely fantasized about Tarantino writing a script for me after seeing my performance as The Blowfish in my high school production of The Little Mermaid.
He goes by Topher. How edgy is that?!?! According to my research, he was called “Chris” as a kid. WHICH MEANS AT SOME POINT HE HAD TO ASK EVERYONE TO START CALLING HIM TOPHER…AND PEOPLE DID IT. Let that sink in. Have you ever been that brave? I haven’t.
This month, I’ll be watching Traffic (2000), Stephen Soderbergh’s drama about the crack epidemic :(
and Topher’s film debut :)
If you haven’t already, please subscribe and tell your friends about Topher Tracking!
If they’re anything like my friends, their first question will be “who?” followed by “why???” Which is what people said to Thomas Edison, I think.
This newsletter will primarily focus on Topher Grace’s filmography. If you want me to weigh in on a current Topher event, please leave a TOPHER TIP in the comments.
All of my Topher trivia is sourced from IMDb or Wikipedia and has not been fact checked. I’m a busy gal!