Portraying multiple characters and immersing themselves in their personalities can leave a lasting impact on actors. However, few might have responded as uniquely as Topher Grace did when he felt depressed after his role in Spike Lee’s 2018 biographical crime comedy-drama, BlacKkKlansman.
The actor revealed in a previous interview that he became so overwhelmed by his role in the film that he ended up creating a two-hour edit of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy to clear his mind.
Topher Grace got depressed due to his role in BlacKkKlansman
Known for starring in That ‘70s Show and Spider-Man, Topher Grace took on the role of David Duke, the radical Ku Klux Klan leader and one of the most prominent white supremacists in history, in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman.
In an interview with IndieWire, he shared how he prepared for his role in the $93 million movie (Box Office Mojo) by listening to Duke’s lectures and reading his autobiography.
“He puts this different face on racism that made it more palatable,” he shared, emphasizing how Duke’s ability to make racism seem more acceptable also made him even more dangerous.
And playing such a character in the Oscar-nominated movie took a heavy emotional toll on Grace. “I was so depressed,” he admitted, reflecting on how the role also affected his personal life.
I was probably a terrible husband at the time. It was so disturbing to go home and turn on the news to see how his ideology was affecting us at the moment.
To cope with the stress, Grace turned to an unusual hobby, editing movie franchises into condensed versions. He applied this method to Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, creating his own shortened cut as a way to unwind.
Topher Grace edited The Hobbit trilogy to reduce the stress of his BlacKkKlansman role
Further in his interview with IndieWire, Grace revealed that to cope with the stress of playing a racist character in BlacKkKlansman, he edited The Hobbit trilogy into a single film.
Directed by Peter Jackson, The Hobbit trilogy, a prequel to the Oscar-winning film series The Lord of the Rings, follows the epic adventure saga of Bilbo Baggins.
And the BlacKkKlansman actor managed to fit the whole trilogy into a two-hour cut, shorter than any of the individual films in the series, which he shared felt “a lot tighter.”
“I think that maybe ‘The Hobbit’ should’ve been one movie, and many people would agree,” he said before adding, “Money drives a lot of those franchises. It’s better when the art leads.”
Grace further emphasized that the hobby helps him reduce stress, noting that it’s not something he wants to pursue professionally. “It’s like doing woodwork in my garage,” he said before adding,
I don’t know what other guys do. Go fishing? For me, this is just a great way to relax — There’s something really zen about it.
The Hobbit wasn’t the only franchise Grace applied this technique to. He had previously created an 85-minute cut of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, which he managed to screen for a few industry insiders before legal restrictions prevented further showings.
BlacKkKlansman is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
The Hobbit trilogy is available to watch on Max.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
