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."