The only one of his movies that Jeff Bridges can actually watch
Jeff Bridges, AKA The Dude, is one of the most lauded actors of his generation. A total cultural icon, he is famous for playing some of the coolest, most laidback characters in cinema, as well as a plethora of more scintillating serious roles, showing that there is no role he cannot play with excellence.
One of the finest character actors of his generation, Bridges’s filmography speaks for itself. He has worked with some of the most significant auteurs, including the Coen brothers, Peter Bogdanovich, Larry Charles, Albert Brooks, Terry Gilliam, Peter Weird and John Carpenter, and all have brought out the best of the California native.
A refreshing departure from your average Hollywood narcissist, Bridges has always been one of the more affable actors and is something of a recluse regarding the film industry. Notably, over the years, he has enjoyed extended stints away from the limelight. Then, when resuming work, he prefers to go for more understated titles, with his role as the villainous Obadiah Stane in 2008’s Iron Man a departure from this norm as the most Hollywood flick he’s ever starred in.
Outside of acting, Bridges has also endeared himself to all of us as an ardent supporter of a range of philanthropic causes, including becoming a spokesperson for the No Kid Hungry campaign and throwing his backing behind environmental movements and organisations like the Amazon Conservation Team.
Whilst he has been in a range of stellar projects from the underrated Winter Kills to the fantastical adventure The Fisher King, Bridges’ most iconic role came as The Dude in 1998’s The Big Lebowski. A classic stoner comedy courtesy of the Coen brothers, co-starring Julianne Moore, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, it tells the story of a hapless slacker who is mistaken for a millionaire and is drawn into the criminal underworld. Bridges’ performance was so acclaimed that almost overnight, his role as The Dude became a cultural juggernaut, with it even spawning the religion ‘Dudeism’.
When appearing on Good Morning America in 2017 to promote his film The Only Living Boy in New York, Bridges revealed that The Big Lebowski is the only film of his that he can sit and watch with pure enjoyment when it comes on the TV.
Straight away, one of the hosts asks him if he’s ever done an interview where he’s not been asked about The Dude, to which Bridges said: “It’s a rare occurrence, but I love The Dude, man.”
“What a great movie… I get hooked. I don’t watch my movies on TV, except like if that comes on, I’ll say, ‘Well, I’ll just wait until (John) Turturro licks the ball and then…’, but then I get hooked, man. It’s like you pop, and you can’t stop”, he explained in his typically Dude-like drawl. “Those brothers (Coen), they know how to do it.”
