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Philips Seymour Hoffman died on Sunday, and to say I was shocked and saddened does a disservice to how I really feel about his work. We never met, but I felt like I knew him. He was able, like many artists of his kind, to reach through his work and actually touch his audience. This never became more apparent to me than as I watched my twitter feed explode with the outpouring of sadness and grief at the loss of this titan.
I’d like to take a couple of minutes to give those of you who may not have seen any of Mr. Hoffman’s work, an idea of how he impressed me.
So, here are the Five Philip Seymour Hoffman performances which touched me the most.
The first movie I saw him is was Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights. In it, he plays sound man Scotty J. who falls in love with Dirk Diggler, played by Mark Wahlberg.
Immediately followed by Magnolia, also by Paul Thomas Anderson.
Afterwards, It wasn’t until David Mamet’s “State and Main” that I realized how truly interested in I was in him as a performer, having just that year read “Oleander.” I had no idea a script could look like that, and I had no idea how an actor could pull it all off. But Hoffman was seamless.
Next was Love Liza. The story of a man whose grief at the sudden loss of his wife takes him to foolhardy places in search of relief.
Finally, his performance in Max and Mary, as the mentally ill pen pal of a lonely Australian girl, was so subtle, I had no idea it was him until I read about it later. So nuanced, so sweet, so sad.
His career spanned decades, genres, mediums. But one thing stayed true throughout. He could reach us from wherever he was.
So, I guess, that’s that, Mattress man. That’s that.
Five Things Podcast
Produced by: Edward S. Kildow and Eric R. Fry
Recorded @ FiveThings Studios, West Jordan, UT & St. Louis, MO
Post-Production: FiveThings Studios, West Jordan, UT
Technical Support: Garrett Olson
© 2014 Yawning Judas Productions, All Rights Reserved
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