The late Philip Seymour Hoffman was undoubtably one of the greatest actors of his generation. His work in everything from Scent of a Woman to Capote to The Master will resonate forever. But in an odd twist of fate, his portrayal of Brandt, the manservant to the millionaire Lebowski in The Big Lebowski, has become one of his most beloved roles despite the fact hes on only onscreen for a few minutes. The grin on his face when Tara Reid offers to perform a sexual act on Jeff Bridges for one thousand dollars is priceless, as is the way he explains that Nancy Reagan was the First Lady of the nation, not of California in an earlier scene.
Philip Seymour Hoffman: 1967-2014
Back in 2008, we spoke to Hoffman about The Big Lebowskifor a story commemoratingits 10-year anniversary. Almost all of this interview has been unpublished until now.
Tell me your memories of your first audition for Lewboski.
I remember having a good time, I think I went in twice. I remember the Coen brothers laughing a lot. I was just kind of enjoying the writing, I remember that. I had a good time with what they wrote and the character. I was worried what I was doing was too much, but I left really feeling good about it.
They really co-direct their movies, right?
Pretty much. On the set youll get notes from both of them, but they never clash or get in each others way. They really know how to work together. . .Ive never experienced that dynamic of two directors before. Its always been one director. But I worked with them on one film and one theater thing, and you never even think about it.
The script is pretty iron-clad, right? They dont allow you to really deviate. . .
Oh, no. I dont remember deviating at all. The script is pretty solid. Its such a great read. I remember reading it the first time and laughing out loud. It was just hysterical. I was in my old apartment and it was just very, very funny.
Did you imagine it could be a hit?
I really loved them as directors, as a team. I love their movies, back to Blood Simple. I just knew they were really talented guys. I wasnt thinking about the success, but more about being part of something that would be well done and that funny. I definitely thought they were going to do a good job.
Its a pretty rare gift they have to go from such serious drama to such hysterical comedy.
They do sort of mix those two things. Fargo is a bit of a mix. They can do anything, those guys. They are pretty amazing.
Ive heard people say that before filming they see the movie in their heads, and all they have to do is execute that.
It seemed like that. They were very confident about each shot, and the way it was lighted. I remember one moment thinking, Ah, Im in a Coen brothers movie just from the way it was lit. They have a certain style. Theyre on top of it, they know what theyre doing. I never showed up when they werent completely prepared. And since they create a storyboard for every camera angle, you know exactly how theyre going to show it too and so you dont have to ask a lot of questions about it. You kind of know already, which is what I liked about working with them.
The film really tanked at the box office. Did that surprise you?
To be honest, back then I really didnt think about it. I just remember enjoying the movie. I think a lot of people really enjoyed that movie, and it just didnt do well at the box office. Who knows why that happened? Many movies I think are great dont do well, and many movies I dont like do real well. Who knows? I didnt really think about that at the time.
Youve done so many movies since then and your career has really taken off. Are you still recognized as Brandt?
Oh yeah. Its a huge fan base. It definitely goes under the cult film status, for sure. People that love that film, love it, and theyve seen it a lot and know it very well. I like that about that movie. I feel the same way. Its one of those films that I havent seen in years, but sometimes Ill catch snippets of it on something as Im passing through the TV and it does make you want to stop and watch it. All the scenes are so great.
Do you have a favorite scene?
I dont think I do. I like so many things about it. The scenes in the bowling alley are terrific. There are so many, just the opening shot of him in the super market where he pays with a check for milk. Then the landlord comes by and later theyre in the theater watching his dance piece. Theres just so many great scenes.
I love that in the middle of all the chaos, they find time to attend the landlords dance cycle.
Yeah, they gotta pay their respects. Its just so good.
Some people just watch the movie over and over and theres even Lebowksi fan conventions. How do you explain its appeal?
I dont know. I guess the whole films attitude, you hate to lay too much meaning onto something thats enjoyable. But theres a freedom to the film. The Dude abides, and thats something people really yearn for, to be able to live their life like that and have other people treat them like that. Theres something about that. Theres a quality to that. You can see why young people all over would want to enjoy that. Its a celebration of that sort of attitude.
Just having no job and devoting all your time to bowling and leisure. . .
Its also the idea that the Dude doesnt want to bother anybody. He doesnt want to make life difficult for others. I think thats definitely part of it, and hes thrown into this situation where he has to deal with all these things. . .I just dont think he wants to cause anybody any harm or any hassles.
Are there certain thing fans often say to you on the street?
They just tell me they love the movie or they yell out Hey, Brandt! Its stuff like that.
Youve gone on to so many major roles since then, and its funny to think theyre yelling out about a very minor role from over a decade ago.
Yeah. Its a pretty big. . .Back then and even now, it was a really great job. I would still consider that a great job. All the characters in that movie were wonderful, down to the smallest and smallest of characters. Theyre all wonderful and they all made an impact somewhere in the movie. Those are the best kinds of jobs and theyre hard to come by.