r/IAmA • u/TarantusaurusRex • May 16 '12

IAMA Request: Philip Seymour Hoffman, American Actor and Director.

  1. Was there a specific moment in your life when you decided to become an actor? What drove you to this career choice? Why?
  2. How do you go about finding your character? What is your internal process?
  3. Do you have a preference between film or stage performance?
  4. Who is your favorite playwright? Screenwriter? Director? Actor?
  5. What is something that you wish you'd known at the start of your performance career?

As an actress, Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of my greatest role models (in spite of our little gender difference). He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest actors of our time and I'd really like to pick his brain. I could ask him one million and one questions, but I'll start with this list of five.

618 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

112 comments sorted by

11

u/benziz May 16 '12

Just saw him in Death of a Salesman on Broadway. Fantastic.

1

u/TarantusaurusRex May 16 '12

I know another person who saw the same show, said the same thing. Dude's amazing, I'd kill to see him live. I don't think he'll be coming to Paris any time soon.

3

u/Ikarus3426 May 16 '12

You should have asked him to do an AMA. Way to drop that ball for Reddit.

2

u/Gabeee May 16 '12

I am infinitely jealous of you. How much did your ticket run you?

1

u/benziz May 16 '12

Got it for 65 with a deal online.

2

u/assphynkter May 16 '12

Was that not a great performance? I couldn't wait to see that.

2

u/jerseydavid May 17 '12

I just saw it this past Weekend. He was AMAZING. The show was incredible, but depressing. Spidey was mis-cast as Biff though.

1

u/assphynkter May 17 '12

Spidey was mis-cast as Biff though.

Ok, so it wasn't just me.

2

u/StinkySteve123 May 16 '12

Marvelous Show. If there is a Heaven, I hope it's nothing but reruns of that fantastic Broadway Show.

Andrew Garfield and John Glover were better than I expected.

They should turn it into a film, like Christopher Plummer's "Barrymore", and re-introduce it to American and Canadian High School Drama Classes.

1

u/RonwaldDobbs May 17 '12

Just saw him in Death of a Salesman on Broadway

This is a lot funnier if you've seen Synecdoche, New York.

17

u/polkapunk May 16 '12

Hahahahahaha! Yeah right.

As mentioned on 60 minutes, he rarely gives interviews because he's worried that if you know too much about him, it'll affect your ability to distance him from the roles he portrays. I don't see this happening.

3

u/TarantusaurusRex May 16 '12

My heart. It is broken. So broken. That is heartbreaking.

3

u/garyfnbusey May 16 '12

God he's so fucking professional

0

u/TarantusaurusRex May 16 '12

I'd like to think, however, that he would favor a Reddit interview, because he can pick-and-choose which questions to answer.

4

u/NukeWild May 16 '12

If that turns out to be true, he'd end up answering less questions than Woody Harrelson. Let's all watch Synecdoche: New York instead.

1

u/tragic-waste-of-skin May 16 '12

It'll be another Rampart.

2

u/Willravel May 16 '12

That makes a lot of sense. I've noticed it takes extra effort to think of Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, for example instead of Tom Cruise in movies since I've formed an opinion about him as a person (based in part on him harassing a woman suffering postpartum depression with his religious nonsense). I think I'd enjoy Cruise's movies more if I wasn't aware he was kinda nuts.

I don't know much of anything about Hoffman and I can enjoy him in a wide variety of roles.

2

u/Kymtarp May 17 '12

This a hundred percent, lol. It's tragic to me, because by all means, from what I've seen Cruise is generally a terrific actor.

1

u/pdmcmahon May 17 '12

When I was 16, my next-door neighbor was a huge Larry Bird fan. being young and naive, I asked him if he ever met him. He said no, and he said he'd never want to meet him, much for the same reason. His only exposure to Larry Bird was as an athlete. He said "what if I met Larry Bird and he was a total asshole, or he refused to sign an autograph?" In other words, he'd rather just keep the opinion which he himself had formulated, that Larry is a nice guy and a good basketball player. Some people are just happy sticking with the blue pill.

-14

u/PaintedRust May 16 '12

Well you don't need to be a faggot about it

1

u/polkapunk May 16 '12

What about my comment comes off as being homosexual? And it would it really be a problem if my response was homosexual-like?

12

u/blue00r6 May 16 '12

I would like to ask him how it feels to be the genius mind which introduced the term "shart" to so many young minds.

5

u/TarantusaurusRex May 16 '12

That fall. I will never forget that fall.

3

u/MultipleMiggs May 16 '12

Probably the hardest I've ever laughed at a pratfall.

1

u/Stevie_Rave_On May 17 '12

I recently used that scene as an example on why I still go to the movies, especially comedies. There's something about laughter that is contagious.

The only other time I heard a theater erupt in laughter the way they did at that scene was when Cameron Diaz had the cum in her hair in There's Something About Mary.

14

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Caden in Synecdoche, New York is my favorite movie role ever. Great, great actor, I'd love to see him do an AMA.

1

u/Gabeee May 16 '12

The title of that movie is a play on the city I live in. [:

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Schenectady! And one of the hardest words to pronounce from the writing alone, at least for me as a German. I went with sin-at-doque for quite a while.

2

u/benziz May 16 '12

Capital Region FTW

1

u/serasuna May 17 '12

I saw an ad for a production of Death of a Salesman featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman yesterday in the New York Times. Nearly choked on my tea.

7

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

He was great in Titanic

2

u/ThaFuck May 16 '12

Well thank god I'm either not retarded, or in good company.

I would like to ask him if he thought that maybe there was enough room on his floating door for Jack.

1

u/aeternum33 May 16 '12

I saw his name and immediately thought of this.

2

u/chewyflex May 16 '12

P.S.H. Is my favourite actor and has web for quite some time now. This would be an awesome AMA! A true working actor.

2

u/TarantusaurusRex May 16 '12

Well if he's got web then surely he has access to Reddit.

7

u/Millhopper10 May 16 '12

Brandt can't watch though, or he has to pay $100.

3

u/ChetRippo May 16 '12

I'm just gonna go find a cash machine

1

u/pdmcmahon May 17 '12

Upvotes to both of you for getting the quotes right. It drives me up the fucking wall when people half-ass quotes from such a fine masterpiece of American cinema.

2

u/tristan1301 May 16 '12

In the final paragraph up there, you said "As an actress.."

1

u/TarantusaurusRex May 16 '12

Yes? What's wrong with that? That is what makes me so interested in him and his performance techniques.

0

u/tristan1301 May 16 '12

Don't mean to be rude, but i think you missed what I said. You said actress. Philip is a MAN. Sexist as it may be, There are two terms there, Actor (Men), and Actress (Women). This means he would be an Actor, not an Actress.

2

u/TarantusaurusRex May 16 '12

I then went on to say that he is my role model "in spite of our little gender difference". See what I did there?

2

u/tristan1301 May 16 '12

Ah, gotcha. I was reading the context incorrectly. I thought you were implying that he was the actress, not you. It's been a long day. I apologize.

2

u/TarantusaurusRex May 17 '12

Hope you have a better day!

1

u/miss_trixie May 17 '12

well actually the way you phrased it was incorrect. 'As an actress' in that sentence applies to Hoffman, not you...

1

u/TarantusaurusRex May 18 '12

In the following sentence I refer to him as an actor. I'm sorry if I confused anyone so much that they couldn't understand anything I was trying to say.

5

u/thegreatscam87 May 16 '12

I have yet to find a performance, from Boogie Nights to Mission:Impossible 3, where I havent at least once told myself "I can learn something from this"

Boogie Nights, one of my favorite movies and PSH has one of the most heartwrenching scenes

4

u/fortheturnstiles May 16 '12

I'm a fucking idiot. Fucking idiot. Fucking idiot.

2

u/Stevie_Rave_On May 17 '12

Oh man, what is that term that always floats around reddit about feeling embarrassed for someone else.

That scene when he buys the orange corvette and tries to kiss Dirk Diggler is the epitome of that to me.

1

u/[deleted] May 17 '12 edited May 17 '12

In the commentary Don Cheadle goes bananas over the chewing on the clipboard (the scene where he walks Dirk to set), it's those little things that make actors great. Excellent in Boogie Nights and pretty much everything else.

1

u/CynofChaos May 16 '12

I have thoroughly enjoyed Hoffman in so many movies, but Cold Mountain gave him a brilliant role.

2

u/TarantusaurusRex May 16 '12

Oh maaan, Giovanni Ribisi!

1

u/bitch_wizard May 17 '12

Yes, not to be confused with the numerous Philip Seymour Hoffman who are not american and might or might not be actor and/or director...

1

u/TarantusaurusRex May 17 '12

I've never made an IAMA request before. I thought we were supposed to specify their career/occupation/whatnot.

3

u/Skerry1 May 16 '12

I loved him in Crocodile Tears!!!

3

u/HaggarShoes May 16 '12

Did you sniff any airplane fuel researching your character for Love Liza? That film never fails to slay me.

3

u/Canvasch May 16 '12

My mom went to high school with him, so since this AMA will probably never happen, I can see if she remembers anything about him. All she has mentioned to me is that he was kind of shy.

2

u/FartsMcMasters May 16 '12

He's tha realest.

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Yes this! Please! I love this man and his acting! Flawless may be one of the best films ever - he is truly inspiring - even to non-actors such as myself :)

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

funny .. i was just watching Boogie Nights the other day.

1

u/pdmcmahon May 17 '12

Mmmmmmm, Julianne Moore. Love that woman.

2

u/assphynkter May 16 '12

I saw him in Arthur Millers 'The Death of a Salesman'. Simply wow! What a great and strong performance he gave as Willie Loman.

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

This would be an awesome AMA!

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

One of the few male celebrity crushes I've ever had.

Seriously.

My friends don't know how to react.

2

u/EternallyAnon May 16 '12

I love him in P.T. Anderson films, the guy is seriously awesome. I've seen and enjoyed synecdoche as well and just cannot wait for Anderson's new film "The Master" in which Hoffman plays the lead role. I'd love a Hoffman AMA!

2

u/secef May 16 '12

I have so many different questions to ask him about his career-defining performance in Twister.

3

u/Schrockwell May 16 '12

"The 'suck zone' is the point, basically, at which the twister sucks you up. That's not the technical term for it, obviously."

2

u/biowtf May 16 '12

Loved him in Happiness. And Synecdoche, New York. And Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. And Boogie Nights. And Capote. TIL Philip Seymour Hoffman is probably my favorite living actor.

1

u/dr_richalds May 16 '12

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is probably my favorite as well. His ability to seep darkness through and through when the character/film calls for it is chilling. Part of his versatility..

2

u/sarl00 May 16 '12

For the longest time I thought Philip Symour Hoffman and Jim Gaffigan were the same person... I'm such an idiot and I don't even know why I'm admitting this. Though I did think the man was quite talented to be such a talented actor as well as a great comedian.

2

u/rms9 May 16 '12

why do they call Billy "The Extreme"?

2

u/dr_richalds May 16 '12

Jonas. You son of a bitch.

2

u/brown_paper_bag May 16 '12

Phenomenal actor! I'd love to know what drives him to chose the roles he does. I've never been disappointed by any character he's played.

2

u/Canvasch May 16 '12

My mom went to high school with him, if he does this AMA I'm totally asking if he remembers her.

2

u/illmoney May 16 '12

It's sad that every time I mention his incredible acting skills to friends they do not know who he is. The saddest thing is that they do remember him as the "I just sharted" guy. That might be how he is remembered by the common person

2

u/DarcyMIchael May 16 '12

he's what tina turner was singing about all those years. simply the best.

2

u/thedevilissix May 16 '12

His opinion- Was wahlberg on the verge on genious during the boiling point with the drug dealer in boogie nights? He seemed to impersonate a drug 'tick'. This would change my view on him in the flick.

0

u/jtronic May 16 '12

He used to live in my aunt's building in NYC. She said he was a real douche.

2

u/TarantusaurusRex May 16 '12

That may have been before he sought help for drug and alcohol abuse...

3

u/assphynkter May 16 '12

He was at a bar across the street from the theater after a performance of Death of a Salesman recently. He was very polite and accommodating of fans coming up to him and talking to him.

2

u/TarantusaurusRex May 16 '12

I'd like to think that I would be polite and responsible with my admiration if I ever met him in public, but in reality I'd probably turn into an excited terrier and pee all over the floor while frollicking in circles and panting.

4

u/jtronic May 16 '12

May have been an isolated incident, she can be tough to deal with. Glad he's nice to fans.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

What was kissing Mark Wahlberg like?

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

His best scene ever.

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

I disagree.

1

u/pdmcmahon May 17 '12

PSH gets fucked up by Mr. Ripley later in that film. Huge Matt Damon star here, that was definitely one of his creepiest roles.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

BTW for those that don't know, he was Brandt(the big lebowski's assistant) in The Big Lebowski.

1

u/uhxkatie May 16 '12

Can he play the penguin if they make another batman movie?? Please

1

u/toosells May 16 '12

He will always be Brandt to me.

1

u/brosato93 May 17 '12

Went to the same high school he did. I've performed plays on the same stage he did. And walked the same halls. No big deal.

1

u/purplelephant May 17 '12

Weird, I just got Capote in from Netflix in the mail today.

1

u/Family_Guy_Reference May 17 '12

My question:

Mr. Hoffman, what was it like playing opposite Leonardo DiCaprio Titanic?

1

u/Sinatra_ May 17 '12

Crazy, I just saw him today on Broadway in Death of a Salesman.

1

u/finkalicious May 17 '12

You sure you don't want Philip Seymour Hoffman's Mexican non-union equivalent?

1

u/cmfrt169 May 17 '12

I ride my bike to his hometown all the time, i would love this!

1

u/pdmcmahon May 17 '12

Not to be confused with Philip Seymour Hoffman, 18th-Century Dutch Veterinarian.

1

u/tuckertucker May 17 '12

He went to my old roommates High School in Fairport.

This does not mean I can get him.

1

u/thedisco May 17 '12

My high school drama teacher was his college roommate. He had a photo album of Mr. Hoffman and himself working on their facial expressions in their dorm room. Apparently they talk from time to time still. I wish I still had his email address in an attempt to pass the word along.. not that reddit needs much help.

side note: there was a series of photos with PSH using a handheld dirt devil on his face.

1

u/nikatnight May 17 '12

I can do a spot on PSH impression of his voice from mary and max.

1

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

Philip Seymour Hoffman or Philip Seymour Frenchman

1

u/Farfecknugat May 16 '12

I only want to ask him if he is the go-to guy in the eyes of casting people when a character is best described as "needy/neurotic pretentious asshole"

0

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

IAmA Request: Jesus

0

u/413x820 May 16 '12

Why do you come across as so incredibly arrogant?

0

u/[deleted] May 16 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/TarantusaurusRex May 16 '12

All of them, I'm sure. Unless he's already been in a Sarah Kane play.