Bruce Dern once named the three performances he “couldn’t have given”
Regarded by many prominent industry figures as one of the greatest actors of his generation, Bruce Dern is a true Hollywood legend. Ranging from Hal Ashby’s 1978 gem, Coming Home, to more recent collaborations with directors like Quentin Tarantino, Dern’s filmography is full of fascinating works which solidify his reputation as a generational talent. That’s exactly why younger filmmakers are still eager to work with him.
Due to his extensive and illustrious career, Dern is often asked about his primary influences in almost all of his interviews. While the actor has repeatedly stated that David Lean’s era-defining epic Lawrence of Arabia tops the list of his favourite films of all time, there are certain acting performances that he reveres more than others as well. During a conversation with A.Frame, Dern opened up about the on-screen work that he claims he could never imitate.
When asked about the greatest performances delivered by actors from his generation, Dern didn’t hesitate to name his selection. He revealed: “I’ve always said that there were three performances given by actors in my age area that I couldn’t have given. They were Geoffrey Rush in Shine, Murray Abraham in Amadeus and Roy Scheider in All That Jazz. I have seen [pianist] David Helfgott in concert once. He’s sick, and Geoffrey Rush showed us that.”
While he considers Lawrence of Arabia to be the perfect movie, Amadeus is a close second: “To me, the best movie ever made was Lawrence of Arabia because it’s perfect in every single category, from writing to acting. All my life, I’ve been fascinated, excuse the expression, by people that get shit done. The guy did that. My second movie like that is Amadeus. A guy did that, and they put it in a form that enveloped us as we watched it.”
Dern added: “I’ve watched Murray Abraham for a long time, but I’ve never seen him do that. I didn’t know who he was. Just the whole way he did it, and allowing himself to look—you see the pockmarks, you see everything. One of the great scenes I have ever seen in my life—and again, we’re reminded the 24-year-old kid did this—is when he couldn’t keep up with Mozart when he’s dictating to Murray Abraham that great piece.”
Check out the list below.
The performances that impressed Bruce Dern:
- Roy Scheider – All That Jazz (Bob Fosse, 1979)
- Murray Abraham – Amadeus (Miloš Forman, 1984)
- Geoffrey Rush – Shine (Scott Hicks, 1996)
In addition to Geoffrey Rush’s work in Shine, Dern cited Roy Scheider’s iconic performance in Bob Fosse’s acclaimed 1979 musical All That Jazz. Although Scheider missed out on an Oscar win for the coveted ‘Best Actor’ category, Fosse’s masterpiece won other highly sought-after honours, such as the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes.
Dern commented: “Well, I knew Bob Fosse. Roy Scheider was as close to Bob Fosse as I ever saw: the frenetic energy, the cocaine highs and lows, the won’t talk to a girl if she’s under six feet tall. [Fosse’s] auditions were considered tougher than Michael Bennett’s, the Chorus Line guy. I mean, he knew what he wanted, and then he made five movies. Here’s an unappreciated genius.”
