Bridges faces mortality in real life and new series ‘Old Man’
If Jeff Bridges’ latest role, an aging assassin fighting for survival, is one of his finest, it may be because it cuts so close to reality.
No, Bridges hasn’t turned to a life of crime. But while filming his FX series “The Old Man,” the Oscar winner faced the very real possibility of death. During production, the actor, 72, was diagnosed with lymphoma. During treatment, he got hit with COVID-19, a double whammy that put his life in jeopardy.
“Yeah, a year-and-a-half bout with my mortality,” Bridges said during a chat with TV critics in March. “You know, in times like that, it seems that all your philosophies and spirituality and everything kind of comes to you. It tests you. You become more mature with that experience.”
Bridges, who is now in remission, still exhibits the same kid-like enthusiasm that he has throughout his 65-year career, one marked with memorable performances in “The Last Picture Show,” “Starman” and “Crazy Heart.”
John Lithgow plays an FBI honcho forced to track down his old friend in “The Old Man,” which recently premiered on FX and is also streaming on Hulu. He fondly recalls the six days he spent shooting a car scene with Bridges, swapping philosophies and dirty jokes.
“The whole time we had our mics on and the whole crew was listening to that, and they were hearing the birth of a great lifetime friendship,” Lithgow said. “I mean, there’s not much more left to our lifetimes.”
The end of the road is a prominent theme throughout the seven-part series. Bridges plays Dan Chase, a former CIA operative who has been in hiding for 30 years. His cover is blown after an old adversary with political sway demands that the U.S. government track him down.
The hunt tests Chase’s physical mettle and gives him juicy dialogue to chew on, especially when someone threatens his daughter. “You’re about to drive this to a place you’re not going to like when we get there,” Chase tells Lithgow’s character during a terse call.
It’s a lot like “Taken” — if Liam Neeson’s hero struggled to put on his socks and had to go to the bathroom twice in the middle of the night.
“We wanted to own what it means to be not just an action hero, but to deeply survive it and to get to a point in a human being’s life where there are real things you are wrestling with,” said executive producer Jonathan Steinberg. “We talk a lot about three-quarter-life crises. I think the tactile, visceral humanity of what it’s like to wake up in the morning at that age is a necessary part of that.”
In some ways, “The Old Man” is the polar opposite of Bridges’ most beloved movie, “The Big Lebowski.” The Dude thinks he’ll live forever; Chase knows that’s a lie.
He also has a sensitive side. In one scene, Chase quietly whips up gourmet scrambled eggs for his love interest, played by Amy Brenneman. The Dude would probably just throw his one-night stand a granola bar.
“They are very different cats,” Bridges said.
The cancer scare didn’t seem to give Bridges a heightened appreciation for his craft. He already had that in spades.
“I haven’t felt any different, really,” he said. “I have always approached life the same way, but this kind of made things sharper.”