Column: Bill Pullman takes the slow road to success, By Joshua Rich, Daily Film Editor

The romantic comedy "While You were Sleeping," one of this year's biggest moneymakers, is available on home video this week after only a three-month hiatus since the end of its theatrical run. In this short time, of course, the popularity of star Sandra Bullock has skyrocketed faster than that bus she was driving ever did. This film is, in the greatest sense of the phrase, a true turning point -- or, if you prefer, a breakthrough role -- in the short career of this actress.

Since last spring, the genuinely lovable Bullock -- co-star of such action flicks as "Demolition Man" (1993) and "Speed" (1994) -- has certainly become the darling of American consumers. She has no doubt usurped the throne of predecessor Julia Roberts as the most beloved and adored actress in show business.

One of the funny things about film, however, is that while Bullock has surely been basking in the glow of fame and fortune, her "While You were Sleeping" co-star, veteran actor Bill Pullman, has yet to make it really, really big.

While we might not remember the name, the face will likely be familiar. Pullman is the actor often found playing the staple ordinary American man who gets misled and abused in so many films. And after surveying Pullman's remarkable resumé, one will find that most of his earlier roles do, in fact, all follow in this same pattern.

In Wes Craven's "The Serpent and the Rainbow" (1987), "The Accidental Tourist" (1988) and Cameron Crowe's popular 1992 flick "Singles," he consistently portrayed the relatively normal and unassuming everyman amidst a cast of outlandish characters. He was a dependable guy; one who would never tell a lie, one who would could always be trusted. And he played his role well.

He was so good, in fact, that he kept this recurring signature part alive with similar portrayals in "Sommersby" (1992), "A League of their Own" (1992) and Nora Ephron's unoriginal comedy "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993). After this, perhaps his most memorable role -- as Meg Ryan's stilted fiancé -- Pullman seemed destined to play an average guy for the rest of his career (how boring!).

But his turn in 1993's thriller "Malice," opposite major celebs Nicole Kidman and Alec Baldwin, proved that Pullman was making a change. While he was still a friendly and naive husband, Pullman's character, for the first time, exhibited a skill and desire to overcome those against him. No more would he just sit back with a pathetic expression on his face saying something like: "Gee whiz!"

He followed that endeavor with his most profoundly different and, arguably, the most well-executed performance of his career in director John Dahl's film noir mystery "The Last Seduction." Playing the sleazy husband of con-woman Linda Fiorentino -- who, indeed, also saw the film as a break from her history of minor roles in motion pictures -- Pullman was entirely convincing as a doctor-turned-small-time-drug dealer. He was refreshingly evil and smarmy, an indication of the true talent that this man has yet to fully present.

This year, Pullman has already starred in two popular movies. He was a kooky psychiatrist in "Casper" and, of course, Bullock's crush in "While You were Sleeping" -- itself, an entertaining and heart-warming film. He has definitely moved up in the acting world; now Pullman plays the film's MAIN love interest, rather than the dreaded "other man." No more being the proverbial bridesmaid.

While these latest roles indicate a slight return to his signature part, this actor -- like his co-star Bullock -- is definitely gaining greater celebrity. And he didn't even have to kiss Sly Stallone or deal with that Keanu guy along the way.