Traveling.............the dark night.............bill...............nothing is private

In 1997, Eckhart was approached by Neil LaBute to star in a film adaptation of LaBute's stage play In the Company of Men.[17] Eckhart played a frustrated white-collar worker who planned to woo a deaf office worker, gain her affections, then suddenly dump her.[18] Eckhart's performance was well-received by critics. Paul Tatara of CNN.com wrote, "Eckhart's Chad even has a couple of sarcastic diatribes that mock Cristine's halting, hollow-voiced way of speaking."[19] In the Company of Men was a critical success, winning Best First Film at the 63rd annual New York Film Critics Circle Award.[20][21] Eckhart's performance won him the Independent Spirit Award in the category of Best Debut Performance.[22][23] The film was ranked as one of "The 25 Most Dangerous Movies" by Premiere magazine.[24]

The following year, Eckhart starred in another LaBute film, Your Friends & Neighbors (1998),[12][13] as Barry, a sexually frustrated husband in a dysfunctional marri ...more