The one thing that pisses Jeff Bridges off about acting: “It’s always disconcerting”
Jeff Bridges doesn’t like to be rushed. True to his character in The Big Lebowski, he doesn’t want his mind cluttered with unnecessary worries, especially when he’s in the middle of a challenging gig. This method clearly works for him. The actor has been nominated for seven Academy Awards since his performance in the 1972 classic The Last Picture Show and won in 2010 for his role in the movie Crazy Heart.
Over the years, he’s been in westerns, comedies, and science fiction movies, always maintaining his laid back persona on and off camera. It isn’t just an act. He really does like to take things at his own pace, which is a character trait that sometimes clashes with being an in-demand movie star. Speaking to FilmJuice in 2011, Bridges said that being offered the lead role in the Coen brothers’ movie True Grit exemplified his least favourite thing about the business.
“When I first heard about True Grit, I was in the middle of making Tron,” he said. “It’s always disconcerting and kind of pisses me off when I get offered a movie while I’m making a movie, especially when it’s a movie that really sounds interesting.”
For most actors, especially those who struggle to find work, this is, quite literally, the dream scenario, and it’s difficult to find much sympathy for someone who’s just so highly valued and beloved that they can’t keep the job offers away. However, it is also easy to see how it might be frustrating to get pulled out of a role and forced into another, especially if you happen to be making a terrible movie and get sent the script for an excellent one. It would be difficult not to bolt out of the makeup chair and scrap all the work you’d done on the current one in favour of starting the other as soon as possible.
Bridges didn’t say or even intimate that this was the case, but it’s hard to deny that Tron: Legacy is an inferior film to the Coens’ True Grit. Reprising his role as computer programmer Kevin Flynn, who had first appeared in 1982’s Tron, Bridges’ performance had more to do with green screens and helpful exposition than character building.
On the other end of the spectrum is True Grit, in which he got to right the wrongs of John Wayne’s original portrayal of the ageing lawman Rooster Cogburn. Grizzled, gruff, and harbouring a heart of gold, the character was perfect for Bridges and has become one of his most beloved. The actor knew right away that he would be a fool not to sign onto the project, even if he wasn’t thrilled about being offered the role in the middle of another film.
“I knew as soon as I heard about it that I was going to like it,” he said. “I’d been dying to work with the Coen brothers again for so long. Whenever they invite you to come play, you know it’s going to be so cool.” True Grit went on to earn a staggering ten Oscar nominations, including a ‘Best Actor’ nod for Bridges.
