Wednesday, October 30, 1996
FILM:
Former host of ‘Talk Soup’ revels in his rising Hollywood
stockBy Lori Swingle
Daily Bruin Contributor
The transition from television talk show host to full-fledged
actor is not a common route.
Oprah received praises for her role in "The Color Purple," and
Ricki Lake got her start with quirky roles in films such as
"Hairspray" and "Cry-Baby," but both women are still stuck in the
talk-show circuit. Talk-show host Greg Kinnear, on the other hand,
stands a good chance of making a permanent switch to the big
screen. He has a starring role in the upcoming "Dear God" as well
as two more films on the way.
Kinnear, the same guy who brought the off-beat, satirical "Talk
Soup" to fame and convinced a few more insomniacs to keep watching
NBC through the night with "Late Night with Greg Kinnear" is on the
brink of becoming a film success despite his previous marriage to
television talk shows.
"I’ve pretty much been in the twilight zone of television.
Unless you get the E! channel or watch TV at 1:30 a.m., you’ve
never seen me," he humbly admits.
Apparently, more than a few Hollywood moguls have an excess of
cable and caffeine, because Kinnear has officially left the
security of his late night post. In exchange, he intends to focus
solely on his film career, which doesn’t seem like too much of a
risk, despite Kinnear’s modest take on his popularity.
"I was sad to leave ("Late Night with Greg Kinnear") after
working so long with a great group of people, but at some point I
just had to take that leap into the great unknown," he recalls.
Kinnear appears more surprised than anyone else by his recent
success. He talks candidly and jokes often while marveling over the
recent change in his career.
"I’m ready for what lies ahead," Kinnear says. "Based on my
study of this business over the last nine years, I’ve seen its ups
and downs, and like it or not, at the end of the day, it’s a crap
shoot. You hope for the best, do the best work you can and try not
to get bogged down with what they’re saying, whether it’s good or
bad."
So far, Kinnear has beat the odds, and at the time of release
for "Dear God," his hair had already been dyed blonde for a role in
his fourth movie, which co-stars Jack Nicholson.
"This is the difference that I’ve found between doing a talk
show and doing a movie: On a talk show, you can go in every day and
look exactly the same. You don’t even have to bathe, quite frankly,
which is a plus for me. In the movie business, however, they’re
constantly trying to tweak you and mold you," he says.
In addition to the appeal of low- maintenance hair-care, Kinnear
recalls some other benefits to doing a live show every day.
"Every night is fresh and new  there’s no script," he
says. "Also, you’re playing to an audience, so the response is
immediate. On ‘Dear God,’ I would do something that maybe I thought
was amusing and all I would get was deafening silence. I kept
thinking, well, in a year, if it’s cut right, that’ll get a chuckle
out of an audience."
Kinnear gained some confidence in his big-screen potential after
the incredible acclaim he received for his role in last year’s
"Sabrina." Many critics overlooked Julia Ormond and Harrison Ford
to gush over the newcomer Kinnear.
"It’s nice to have recognition for your work, whatever you’re
doing, especially the first time out. A lot of that can be
attributed to the direction of Sydney Pollack ("Tootsie", "Out of
Africa"), who really helped me out," he says.
Not one to sing his own praises, Kinnear adds, "in spite of
that, I have all of the positive reviews plastered around my house
like wallpaper."
Kinnear claims that Pollack’s direction and ensuing advice on
choosing roles are part of the reasons why Kinnear held out on
committing to a new film project.
"Sydney’s last words to me were, ‘Stick with a good director on
your next time out.’ and I thought it was good advice. So I kept my
eye out, and then ‘Dear God’ came out of nowhere with Garry
Marshall’s ("Pretty Woman," "Beaches") name attached to it. I knew
Garry’s strong background in both film and television, so it just
made sense for me to do this film, coming from a similar
(television) background myself," Kinnear recalls.
The film gave Kinnear his first starring role as well as the
chance to utilize his improvisational skills. Marshall allowed
Kinnear to further develop the character of Tom Turner, a con
artist turned postal worker.
"Tom is from Indiana. He plays golf and he speaks Greek. You’re
3-for-3 right there, so you know Garry was letting me bring some of
my own life into it," he says. "Garry is very loose and
improvisational, which I like."
Kinnear’s co-star in the film, Hector Elizondo ("Pretty Woman,"
"Chicago Hope"), sees in him the potential for a very prosperous
career. A veteran to the industry, he cites Kinnear’s unpretentious
attitude as a key element in his appeal. He believes that Kinnear’s
career is not just a flash in the pan.
"What he’s got is a certain charm. He’s a fine-looking guy who
doesn’t walk around like he is," Elizondo says. "That’s what Cary
Grant had, that self-effacing manner about him. Greg’s also got a
damn good ear for comedy," Elizondo adds.
With a comparison as strong as that, it seems that Kinnear has
nothing to worry about in terms of work. At this point his career
is doing just fine, and the scripts keep coming.
Kinnear is hesitant, however, to make predictions just yet.
"I’ve never been good at having a blueprint to where I’m going.
If I did, I never would have followed it anyway. Who knows what
I’ll even be doing in four years? I’ll probably be doing
infomercials for ‘Buttmaster 4.’"
Paramount Picture
Greg Kinnear stars as con man Tom Turner in "Dear God."