Jeff Bridges Talks Surviving Cancer and Covid During Making of New FX Series The Old Man in Emmy Magazine
The new FX series The Old Man was beyond challenging for veteran actor Jeff Bridges, who battled both cancer and COVID during the making of the show. Despite seven production shutdowns, the highly anticipated thriller will debut June 16. Emmy spoke to the cast and crew about coming together despite the odds. The award-winning, official publication of the Television Academy hits newsstands June 16.
Based on author Thomas Perry's novel of the same name, The Old Man is about an ex-CIA agent who's pulled back into the fold after he's targeted for assassination. Bridges stars as Dan Chase, John Lithgow as FBI operative Harold Harper and Amy Brenneman as Chase's landlady, Zoe McDonald.
When executive producers Warren Littlefield and Jonathan E. Steinberg pitched Bridges on the series, he was reluctant to consider the role. After 64 years in the business, he understood what he was in for. "I'm at the point in my career where I know what it will cost me," he says. "It's time away from my family and from other things I want to do." But as the cast started to take shape, he knew he had to be a part of it. "You start thinking, 'These are the guys I'm going to jam with!'" Bridges, who ultimately signed on as star and executive producer, continues, "The whirlpool got me. I'm hooked."
In "To Hell (or was it Heaven?) and Back," Bridges talks to emmy about the unexpected forces that shut down production of the show, including the pandemic and his monthslong fight with both cancer and COVID-19. "COVID made the cancer look like nothing," he says. "I was in terrible, terrible shape."
Understandably, the production team was concerned about Bridges' health and uncertain he would be able to resume shooting. "We had 4 1/2 episodes [shot] and some pieces of stuff," Littlefield says. "We didn't know if he'd come back. It kind of looked like it could be a $100 million write-off." Steinberg had been speaking to Bridges regularly, and one day he noticed something different in his voice. "He'd gone to a really scary place," says Steinberg. "Then there was this moment when I started sensing, 'He kind of sounds like himself again,' and he's talking about the story. Watching him go through this, it was clear that he wanted and needed to come back."
Bridges was equally thrilled to be back on set. "When you go through something like [I did], you say, 'Now's the time,' and you pull out everything you've got in your bag of tricks—all your philosophies, all your spirituality. The whole thing seemed like a dream and not necessarily a bad dream. There were some wonderful things that came out of it that I wouldn't have gotten any other way."
Bridges is beloved by his castmates. Brenneman shared her experience working with the prolific actor. "What's crazy is, I was with Jeff Bridges for 60 straight days—from January to March 2020—and those were some of the best 60 days of my life. I was just high. I've worked with people who have been around as long as he has but do not have the same respect and interest in acting as he does. I thought, 'Oh, this guy. He doesn't phone it in.'"
He also understands how an actor's behavior sets the tone for the entire cast, a lesson he learned from his late father, Lloyd Bridges, of Sea Hunt fame. "He approached his work with such joy," Bridges recalls. "And it was kind of contagious. That's my style, too."
Additional feature highlights from the new issue include:
- In "Buddy Up!" emmy catches up with the team at Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, creators of Robot Chicken. As the animation house celebrates its 10-year anniversary, founders Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, John Harvatine IV and Eric Towner share what to expect next from the Emmy Award-winning outfit.
- PBS's Nature has aired more than 400 episodes and won two Primetime Emmy Awards, 13 News & Documentary Emmys and a Peabody Award since its premiere in 1982. In "Oh Say, Can You See," emmy talks to Ann Johnson Prum and Joe Pontecorvo, two of the series' 70-plus cinematographers, about capturing footage and telling stories about wildlife.
- Created, executive-produced and fronted by Quinta Brunson, the critically acclaimed ABC comedy Abbott Elementary follows the lives of teachers at a predominantly Black public school in Philadelphia. In "Going Public," emmy talks to the cast about the lessons and laughs that have contributed to the show's success.
About emmy
Emmy, the official publication of the Television Academy, goes behind the scenes of the industry for a unique insider's view. It showcases the scope of television and profiles the people who make TV happen, from the stars of top shows to the pros behind the cameras, covering programming trends and advances in technology. Honored consistently for excellence, emmy is a six-time Maggie Award winner as Best Trade Publication in Communications or the Arts and has collected 52 Maggies from the Western Publishing Association. Emmy is published 12 times per year and is available on selected newsstands and at TelevisionAcademy.com for single print and digital copies as well as subscriptions.
Download the press release here.
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breakwhitelight for the Television Academy
