Few Hollywood A-listers are anything like their most iconic characters. However, when it comes to Jeff Bridges, it seems he does bare a striking resemblance to one of his most beloved characters, The Dude from The Coen Brother’s The Big Lebowski, in as much as he tends to go with the flow and play the hand he’s dealt. The Dude abides, and so does Bridges. When the Tron actor revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer in 2020, he did it in the chilliest way possible by quoting his LA slacker bowler character in a tweet. “As the Dude would say… New SHIT has come to light….”
Now one of Bridges’ The Old Man co-stars, Amy Brenneman, is getting honest about what it was like working with the actor while he simultaneously battled cancer and Covid-19 while sooting their FX action drama. The Judging Amy alum told People that Bridges remained “lively” during his diagnosis. The actress also says her time spending every minute with Bridges for over 60 days left her changed. Brenneman told the publication:
I was with Jeff Bridges every day for 60 days. I mean, literally, we didn’t act with anybody else, and I changed because of it. I was always with Jeff, and … then he was diagnosed with cancer. Honestly, during the cancer, he was really lively.
Brenneman added that Bridges stayed in contact with her while he was in treatment. According to the actress, The Hell or High Water actor would call her while he was “high” on the steroids he would receive during his chemotherapy treatments. These are calls she said she thought were “cute.” She added:
When he was sort of high on the steroids, he would call me. I was like, are you in that part of the chemo cycle? So cute.
Amy Brenneman said that things were much scarier after her friend and co-star contracted Covid-19 and had to battle two diagnoses at the same time, which Bridges has admitted in past interviews that the combination of chemo and Covid almost killed him. The Heat actress added that the ‘radio silence’ from her co-star clued her into just how hard he was fighting for his life. She said:
That’s where it’s like… because he’s a huge communicator, I’m like, fuck, he is fighting for his life and he was.
Brenneman revealed that she considers Bridges her role model and an inspiration. She says that because he’s older than her yet remains creative, she believes that is the way “to do it” as an actor ages. The actress added:
You look at people that are 15, 20 years down the line, that are still creative, that are still brilliant, and you go, that’s the way you do it.
We could all probably learn something from Jeff Bridges’ perseverance and great attitude while facing life-threatening situations.
Two years after his lymphoma diagnosis, Jeff Bridges offered an update on his illness, revealing his cancer was in remission. He also took the time to thank all his co-stars who lent their support and FX for “all of the time” he required to heal.
It’s unfortunate Jeff Bridges had to deal with such a difficult diagnosis as cancer. However, it’s terrific to hear that he is now in remission and was able to keep a positive mental attitude, which undoubtedly made it possible to fight the illness and even inspired fellow actors such as his co-star Amy Brenneman.
You can watch the 73-year-old actor still holding his own like an action movie star alongside Brenneman in their hit drama-thriller series The Old Man, now streaming for anyone with a Hulu subscription.