Topher Grace Reacts to Tom Hardy Playing Venom

Topher Grace is reacting to Tom Hardy playing the role of Eddie Brock and Venom in the new Sony movie, in theaters this October.

If you don’t know, Topher originated the role on screen in the 2007 Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man 3.

“To me — I truly mean this — I think Tom is the guy to play that role. I’m thrilled to watch it as a fan. I really mean that. I think he’s just the best dude,” Topher told Inverse in a recent interview. “He’s proven he can do comic book villains amazing,” Topher added, referencing his role as Bane in Christopher Nolan‘s Batman movie.

On the differences in the two versions of Venom/Eddie Brock, Topher added, “I understand [Spider-Man 3 director] Sam [Raimi]’s interpretation, which was to do a dark version of Tobey [Maguire]’s character. I was thrilled because I was such a fan of the character, but I was aware of how it was different from what I had grown up reading. I thought it was cool, but I’m really excited to see [Tom Hardy’s version]. That’s the character I grew up with.”