THE HEART AND ‘SOUL’ OF GROSS

Arye Gross displays a rich variety of comic attitudes as (C. Thomas Howell’s) roommate.

--Paul Attanasio, Washington Post

Gross is a pleasant discovery, second-banana style.

--Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times

Arye Gross is quite funny in the Bill Murray sidekick role.”

--Janet Maslin, New York Times

“The character I play in ‘Soul Man’ tends to comment on the action in the scenes, so in a way he’s the character closest to the audience,” said actor Arye Gross, explaining why his performance in Steve Miner’s offbeat youth comedy may have been singled out as a scene stealer.

“Soul Man” is the story of a rich white kid (C. Thomas Howell) who passes himself off as black in order to pocket a scholarship to Harvard. Gross plays Howell’s unflappable sidekick, Gordon, a callow yuppie with a dry sense of humor.

“The audience is more or less invited to sit in judgment on the things that Tommy Howell’s character does,” Gross said, during a recent interview in Beverly Hills. “Gordon is kind of like his conscience and confidant and I think that’s what people are responding to.”

Gross, a 26-year-old native of Los Angeles, had been performing for years before landing the role of Gordon.

“I realized fairly early on that I had a passion for acting,” Gross said. “I always took drama classes in high school and involved myself in acting workshops as a teen-ager. There was a period of time when I really wanted to become a clown, but I became disenchanted with that because it’s a kind of performing that makes you feel like a piece of meat.”

Gross, who studied drama at UC Irvine, has been involved in several theater companies, including a three-year stint with the South Coast Repertory. Now, after supplementing his acting with a variety of paying jobs, he said he thinks Gordon and “Soul Man” have helped him make the turn. He just finished “House II,” which he describes as a “comedy-adventure-fantasy,” and his most urgent problem now is trying to convince people he can do more than comedy.

“I’ve never felt that comedy was one of my strong points,” Gross said. “Actually, I don’t know what my strong points are yet. I have a long way to go. Maybe I’ll know when I’m 50.”

Gross, whose quiet philosophical manner is in stark contrast to “Soul Man’s” Gordon, is appreciative and bemused by the atmosphere that has made his career break possible.

“For the past few years youth movies have seemed to capture the imagination of the public and they’ve created a lot of opportunity for younger actors,” he said. “I’m close to a number of actors who are much older than I am, who are extremely talented and have worked harder and longer than I have, yet haven’t received the kind of recognition I’m getting.

“I don’t know if it’s a matter of luck or what. I think I’m very fortunate, but I also know that I’ve worked hard and that I’m enjoying what’s happening right now very much.”