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The '70s Show is responsible for some of the biggest silver screen stars of our time. Ashton Kutcher and his wife Mila Kunis got their careers started on the Fox period sitcom, before they became the massive stars that they are today.
Another actor whose professional path was forged on That '70s Show is Topher Grace. The New Yorker played Eric Forman, the main role in the series over the course of 179 out of 200 episodes of the show.
The sitcom was Grace's first ever professional acting gig, which he landed at the age of 20. By the time the final episode aired in 2006, the actor was only two years short of his 30th birthday, and he had raked in millions from the role.
Starring alongside Grace, Kutcher and Kunis was New Jersey-born actress Laura Prepon, who was also just getting her career started on the show. Prepon portrayed Donna Pinciotti, long-time girlfriend (and later fiancée) of Grace's character.
About one decade after That '70s Show wrapped its eight-year run on Fox, Prepon was put on the spot about Grace's kissing skills. Her answer was quite unflattering for her co-star.
What Did Laura Prepon Say About Topher Grace's Kissing Skills?
Since her career took off after That '70s Show, Laura Prepon's biggest role on television was Alex Vause on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black. She featured in the role in a total of 82 episodes, and even directed three between Seasons 5 and 7.
On OITNB, Prepon's Alex is involved with main character Piper Chapman, portrayed by multiple award-winning actress, Taylor Schilling.
In February 2016, Prepon appeared on the Todd and Jayde in the Morning radio show on New York's 95.5 PLJ radio station. It was then that she was grilled about Topher Grace's kissing skills, and was asked to compare them with those of her Orange Is the New Black counterpart, Schilling.
In her response, Prepon was wary of how Grace would react, but she was categorical in choosing Schilling over him. "Topher would kill me, but I’m going to say Taylor," she said. To add salt to injury, the actress suggested that Schilling had better hygiene habits when it came to locking lips on screen.
"I think Taylor likes gum — every actor has their own thing," Prepon continued.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Disagreed With Laura Prepon's Take On Topher Grace's Kissing Skills
Laura Prepon's character was not the only one with whom Topher Grace's Eric shared a first kiss moment with on That '70s Show. Season 1, Episode 11 of the series was titled Eric's Buddy, and it featured Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Eric's lab partner, by the name Buddy Morgan.
In one car scene, he unexpectedly kisses Eric and confesses that he is actually gay. That scene actually made television history, as it was the first kiss between two men on North American primetime TV.
In December 2018, Gordon-Levitt revisited that historic moment between his character and that of Grace. Taking to his Twitter account, the 500 Days of Summer star tagged his That '70s Show colleague's handle and wrote, 'Good dude to kiss, @TopherGrace.'
Gordon-Levitt had also previously expressed his pride at being part of that scene alongside Grace. "I was totally proud of that, and I still am," he was quoted saying in 2016. "It was a great bit, and it got a great reaction."
Topher Grace's Career After 'That '70s Show'
Laura Prepon has remained on course mostly as a TV performer since her time on That '70s Show. Apart from Orange Is the New Black, she has also enjoyed significant roles in shows such as October Road, How I Met Your Mother and Are You There, Chelsea?
Topher Grace's career has taken a different tangent, however. Since That '70s Show, his biggest roles on TV were on Nat Geo's The Hot Zone and the social Internet series The Beauty Inside, which was broadcast on YouTube and Facebook. Grace featured in six episodes of each of those two shows.
The big screen is where he has made his home, however. Most fans today will recognize him as Eddie Brock or Venom from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 in 2007. That film was the first he did after That '70s Show, and he ended being nominated for MTV and Teen Choice Awards for Best Villain.
In 2018, Grace portrayed David Duke, the former Grand Duke of the Ku Klax Klan in Spike Lee's biographical crime film, BlacKkKlansman. The actor has also made his presence known in productions such as Delirium, Interstellar and Black Mirror.
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