RogerEbert.com contributors, including yours truly, remember Philip Seymour Hoffman.
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Love your tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman. Being vulnerable in public has been the hardest thing for me to do on film as my default setting is comedy. Good to know this can be seen as “brave.”
Carol – the bravest of all. It’s WHY it’s hard. Good luck to you – and thanks for reading.
A well observed appreciation of his talents – I think you pinpoint something that is essential to him. I’m finding it interesting in listening and reading tributes to him is that we all ended up feeling like we knew what was going on inside of him from his performance. I certainly did. I thought I saw self-loathing and loneliness – that character in Boogie Nights. But it’s interesting to me, because the interpretations are so diverging. It really speaks volumes about his ability to inhabit a wide range of characters lovingly.
Ted – I know, right? The diversity is amazing.
I also don’t think it’s an accident that the character I mentioned in Magnolia was also named “Phil”. You know, just show up as yourself, man, be your loving caring self, that’s what we need, that’s it.
So sad about this one.
Did you ever get to see him onstage, Ted? Willy Loman?
I saw him on stage in True West. I didn’t find that work as free as his film work – more labored and self conscious. I’m trying to think if I saw him in anything else, maybe at Labyrinth? I can’t remember – did you?
I saw him in True West twice – so I could see him in both roles. And I saw him as Treplev in Mike Nichols’ Seagull in Central Park – and, weirdly, he was the weak link in the whole thing, telegraphing “I am going to commit suicide in the third act” from his first entrance. It was not a good performance.
I loved True West – and I do remember him being better as the flailing-about writer brother and not as good as the psycho brother – but it still was an interesting and ambitious exercise and I am glad I saw it.
I saw some stuff he directed at Labyrinth. Some friends of mine knew him very well, and were in shows with him. This is hitting everyone very hard.
My friend Larry has really funny wonderful stories about being in a play directed by Hoffman.