By Jenny Halper in New York City

If losing your 'screen virginity' isn't a daunting enough task, Topher Grace had to shuttle weekly between L.A. and NYC to do so. Filming the popular "That 70's Show" in California, the actor frequented red eye flights each weekend, arriving promptly in New York to shoot his starring turn in Dylan Kidd's "P.S."

Grace plays F. Scott Feinstadt, an MFA applicant whose romance with the much older Columbia Admissions Director (Laura Linney) may be the byproduct of ulterior motives. Their relationship, which begins with a shocking sex scene and develops afterwards, results in one of this year's more interesting screen couplings. In his third film and first major starring role, Grace has won raves from co-star Linney and director Kidd, and Linney has compared his electric audition to Mark Ruffalo's reading for "You Can Count on Me." I hadn't seen Grace in anything since "Traffic", and I was blown away by his wise, brave, and charismatic performance.

The talented Grace, who seems much more modest than his screen counterpart, recently chatted to New York press about his work on "P.S.", a film that is likely to capitulate him from sitcom heartthrob to big-screen star.

Q: Do you think of yourself as a comic actor?

Topher: No. But I don't think I put any kind of label on it. Just "actor." Attractive actor. (Laughs). No, I'm just kidding. I hope I can do lots of different types of- I like any kind of project that has both comedy and drama in it, because in life you don't have one day when everything's funny, and the next day when everything's dramatic. And the actors I really admire star in movies that have a good balance. And this- and the movie I did that comes out in December, I don't think you could label these movies as to what they are exactly.

Q: Which film comes out in December?

Topher: It's called "In Good Company." "P.S.", you could say it's a drama, but there were people laughing out loud when I saw it.

Q: Your performance is very aggressive and self-assured- did you intentionally try to break away from prior roles, or did that just kind of happen organically and naturally?

Topher: I certainly didn't take it because it was different, but I realized that I would have to be different for it. It's a great opportunity though- especially to play in juxtaposition to her character, who is so kind of- almost dead. To come in to her dark world and be the ray of light- I actually was just saying in an interview, I didn't read the novel, and it was a real debate to me whether or not I should, because it holds so much information. But I didn't want to be bound by anything. I wanted to just have as much fun- because I could tell this character was so much fun- he's kind of light- Dylan and I, when we talked about him, said, he's like your friend's older brother. He's not like your friend- you can see what his flaws are- but he's like your friend's older brother. You're like: "Man, that guy's got it together. Why does he know everything?"

Q: There's an agelessness about the guy, too…

Topher: I really hope so. And I really hope our chemistry works, because I think the whole thing kind of lives or dies based on whether or not you really believe that these two people would get together.

Q: Is you're character on "That 70's Show" easy to slip into, since you've been playing him for so long?

Topher: Yeah- I don’t know. I feel like on "70's", I don't really know what my character is in terms of- I've been really careful to never have a catch phrase, which they will give to you, to never be the sarcastic guy, or the dumb guy. There's a way that people like to compartmentalize you on sitcoms, and I've been very cognizant of not letting that happen, so…and plus, when I did films I waited to do something- my first film was "Traffic"- I waited to do something that was the total opposite of the show.

Q: How do you approach the character?

Topher: On a week to week basis, I look at a" 70's Show" script and say, what is Eric's role here? Cause its different different weeks. Sometimes the role is a protagonist, sometimes you’re the other guy, it's the episode that's about Fez, or whatever. In terms of this film, you see your utility and then have fun with it.

Q: Had you read the novel "P.S."?

Topher: I did, after we wrapped, I should have mentioned that. And I liked it, and then I talked to Helen when I saw her in Toronto…she was very happy with it.

Q: Were you surprised how the book was different than the movie?

Topher: It was funnier; we don't have any internal dialogue in the film. but I think the film gets some of that humor. Laura's amazing, she's kind of sad and yet you're laughing at what she's going through- it's great.

Q: Does playing opposite someone like her make it easier or harder for you?

Topher: I thought it was going to be way harder, and I was really nervous, but it's actually like playing tennis against someone that's better than you. If you play tennis against someone worse than you, you actually end up losing to them- but she really ups your game. You can't get away with a minute of bad acting in front of her- she's so in it. In my audition, she was crying off camera. Most people don't cry off camera while you're doing it, so, when you have someone who's that dedicated, you can't not do the same thing yourself.

Q: Were you more nervous than she was, filming the sex scene?

Topher: Oh, by far! Have you talked to her yet? By far. She's had experience, it was my screen virginity. (Laughs). I was so nervous…I wanted to be the gentleman, and kind of hold her hand through it, and she really guided me through it.

Q: The first telephone call- how did you logistically do that?

Topher: That was great, that was on my first day. I came in the day before, when I wasn’t shooting; I just watched Laura work, cause I really wanted to play the role in juxtaposition to her character, and I saw how dark she was going with it, it's great. She's so wildly lonely in that office at the beginning of the movie, so it made it real easy. And it was actually that phone call- I was just in the next room- but that was the moment I really felt it click- the movie kind of comes to life. And Dylan is also a genius at pace and tone and knowing how to set something up- that phone call is perfectly set up, you're really nervous for her.

Q: F. Scott is a bit like your friend's older brother, flirting with every girl…

Topher: You look back and you realize, man, I'm older than that guy now, he couldn't of been that cool. There's something about seeing someone through someone else's eyes that makes them way cooler than they were. I think at the beginning he's really nervous, and what that does to the movie, at least when I saw it, is that- and Dylan was aware of this when we were doing it- you're not sure whether he's really going to take advantage of her or not, or if he's kind of shifty, and then it flips on a dime during that mirror scene- and all of a sudden you realize he's totally vulnerable. And the way he flipped the whole dynamic is really great, it really works for the ending.

Q: What characteristics do you share with F. Scott?

Topher: I'm really passionate about what I do. What's really attractive about F. Scott is he's so passionate about painting. I also- I'm not as brash as he is; I'm probably shyer than he is.

Q: Did you really shoot all of your scenes in ten days?

Topher: It was more like fourteen.

Q: You didn't rehearse at all, yet you have this incredible chemistry, can you talk a bit about that…

Topher: We had this day where we read together for a long period of time, so we kind of knew we could do it. Then there was a day where Dylan asked for a rehearsal, and I was trying to get off book because I wanted to impress Laura, and then I showed up in his apartment and he said look, we're not going to do any reading today, we're just going to get to know each other better, and I thought what a waste of time. But it turned out to be just the greatest thing! We went out and had lunch, and talked, and there was a real comfort level right from the beginning, because of that.

Q: Philosophically, what do you think about going out with someone older?

Topher: I think if two people are right for each other- and it's so hard to find a real connection in this world- great, go for it.

Q: Did working on this film give you a greater understanding of the older woman/younger man dynamic? It's been so popular lately?

Topher: It's really popular, and I think there's something- things are taboo until people make eight films about them and then they're not. It's certainly a societal thing that's happening and I think that's…fine.

Q: Will Louise and F. Scott end up together?

Topher: I think they do. I think when she says I'll see you around, that's what that means. But, purposely we knew that you could draw different things from it. But I think she's decided to give it a shot. Whether or not it works out, I don't know. They have a real connection. If you can find that connection with a pumpkin, go, go for it.

Q: What type of film would you most like to work on?

Topher: You get in trouble when you say now I want to make an action movie, now I want to make this kind of a movie about this. I do think that I'm really honest about knowing that I'm really green, I'm really new to this. This is my third film and I really want to just work with the best people in the world, and I've been able to do that. Every time I feel like I come out with so much more, I'm more obsessive about who I work with than what I work on.

Q: Who do you want to work with?

Topher: Richard Linklater, PJ Hogan, Robert Zemeckis, Spike Jonze, worked with Soderbergh 3 times, but I'd go back for more. (Laughs). Spielberg.

Q: What about books?

Topher: My one dream is "Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius." I love that novel. Oh, and Bill Murray, in terms of actors.

Q: Leading ladies?

Topher: I think Reese Witherspoon is amazing; I'd like to do something with her.

Q: You have one scene with Gabriel Byrne, but you steal it. Was that intentional?

Topher: Don't tell Gabriel! He's amazing. That scene was written late in the movie, I remember saying to Dylan "Keep this scene!" I just did another film- I play Dennis Quaid's boss and I start dating his daughter, Scarlett Johansson, behind his back, and there's a scene where he finds us together in a restaurant, and I'm like, "Oh hey, I know what this looks like..." and so when things come to a head, the audience is just sitting there salivating, you know?

Q: Have you ever thought about directing or writing?

Topher: No! I just hate when kids do like two or three movies and they're like, I want to write, I want to direct, I want to cut my rap album!

Q: No rap album from you then?

Topher: No rap album. (Laughs) Yet. No, I want to learn more about being good at this, I'm new to it, I feel.

Q: Was this film fun for you to do?

Topher: Yeah, the one thing that was a bummer was commuting, cause I would do a week on "70's" and come here for a weekend and go back, so that commute, bicoastal, was tough. I'd tape Friday night of "70's," take a red eye to NY, get off a plane, come to the set. But Laura's a really fun person just to hang around, and Dylan's a really funny guy. Trust me, we had more fun than it probably looks.

Q: What's one lesson you learned from this experience?

Topher: I knew I wanted to work with great people like Laura and Dylan, and it was just confirmed by this experience- especially having seen the film. I'm really proud of it.

"P.S." opened in select cities on October 15th.