Just over 10 years ago, Eddie Brock/Venom made his live action feature film debut in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, the character played by “That ’70s Show” star Topher Grace. We don’t need to remind you that many fans of the character absolutely hated the depiction of Venom in the film, but it’s looking like this year’s Venom may have finally gotten the character right.

So what does Topher Grace think of Tom Hardy taking over the role?

“To me — I truly mean this — I think Tom is the guy to play that role,” Grace just told Inverse. “I’m thrilled to watch it as a fan. I really mean that. I think he’s just the best dude.”

He continued, “I understand Sam’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.”

Venom is back, this time in his own solo film, on October 5.