Jeff Bridges - biography

“A large part of acting is just pretending.  You get to work with these other great make-believers, all making believe as hard as they can.”

“Nowadays, in the contract that actors sign, you have to agree that you’re going to do a certain amount of publicity-the hard part they don’t pay you for.”

“One of the things I want to do that’s outside the realm of acting and the arts - although both have their place in this - is ending childhood hunger here in America.”

“As far as the lack of hits goes, I think perhaps it’s because I’ve played a lot of different roles and have not created a persona that the public can latch on to.  I have played everything from psychopathic killers to romantic leading men, and in picking such diverse roles I have avoided typecasting.”

“Most cynics are really crushed romantics: they’ve been hurt, they’re sensitive, and their cynicism is a shell that’s protecting this tiny, dear part in them that’s still alive.”

“For me, growing up, the downside of it was that as a kid you don’t want to stand out.  You don’t want to have a famous father let alone get a job because of your famous father, you know?  But I’m a product of nepotism.  That’s how I got my foot in the door, through my dad.”

“What I learned most from my father wasn’t anything he said; it was just the way he behaved.  He loved his work so much that, whenever he came on set, he brought that with him, and other people rose to it.”

“I don’t think I ever went down that movie star path.  I always enjoy taking a 90-degree turn from the last thing I did.”

“I’m very manipulative towards directors.  My theory is that everyone on the set is directing the film, we’re all receiving art messages from the universe on how we should do the film.”

“Making films is sort of like you’re pulling off a magic trick.  It’s sort of like an illusion.  It’s not real but you want it to appear real, and all kinds of things go into that, from the clothes you’re wearing to the make-up, to the light.”

“Movies are like magic tricks.”

“Working with my dad was such a gas.  We approached the work in a similar way.  We only made two films together when I was an adult, Tucker, and Blown Away, but it was so much fun to play with your parent like that.”

“Sure, I get the blues.  But what I try to do, is apply joy to the blues, you know?  I don’t know if it’s a technique, or just being bent that way, being raised by the folks I was raised by.”

“I’ve had really great experiences working with first-time directors.  They come at filmmaking with fresh ideas.  I’ve been very lucky that way.”

“I love John Irving’s stuff.  It’s that marriage of comedy and tragedy.  It’s really terrific.”

“Sticking with a marriage.  That’s true grit, man.”

“I had years of partying, and I was kind of surprised and happy I survived it all.  Now, being a parent, I look back on it thinking, Oh God, the things you did!”

“My m.o.  as far as choosing projects is I really try not to work.  I try to not do the scripts that are offered me.  I’m in this wonderful position to be able to do that.  The reason I do that is because I know what it takes once I engage, what that means for me personally and for my wife.”

“As far as Beau is concerned, we’re on the same team, we root for each other.  If my parts are slightly more attractive, or are perceived that way by others, he’s very content.”

“I had a great ’70s.  I survived it, and that’s always good news.”

“I’m not counting any chickens.”

“The problem with the designated driver programme, it’s not a desirable job.  But if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it.  At then end of the night drop them off at the wrong house.”

“This idea of how everything is interconnected, and the impermanence of things.  It sums up the human condition to me, and it helps me on my path.”

“What are the aspects of yourself that line up with the character?  You magnify those, and the ones that don’t match up you kind of kick to the curb.”

Jeff Bridges has appeared in the following films:
The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go (1970)
Halls of Anger (1970)
The Last Picture Show (1971)
Fat City (1972)
Bad Company (1972)
Lolly-Madonna XXX (1973)
The Iceman Cometh (1973)
The Last American Hero (1973)
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
Hearts of the West (1975)
Rancho Deluxe (1975)
King Kong (1976)
Stay Hungry (1976)
Somebody Killed Her Husband (1978)
Winter Kills (1979)
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
The American Success Company (1980)
Cutter’s Way (1981)
The Last Unicorn (1982)
Kiss Me Goodbye (1982)
TRON (1982)
Against All Odds (1984)
Starman (1984)
Jagged Edge (1985)
The Morning After (1986)
8 Million Ways to Die (1986)
Nadine (1987)
Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
See You in the Morning (1989)
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
The Fisher King (1991)
American Heart (1992)
Fearless (1993)
The Vanishing (1993)
Blown Away (1994)
Wild Bill (1995)
The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)
White Squall (1996)
Simpatico (1999)
The Muse (1999)
Arlington Road (1999)
The Contender (2000)
K-PAX (2001)
Scenes of the Crime (2001)
Masked and Anonymous (2003)
Seabiscuit (2003)
The Door in the Floor (2004)
The Moguls (2005)
Tideland (2005)
Stick It (2006)
Surf’s Up (2007)
Iron Man (2008)
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
The Open Road (2009)
A Dog Year (2009)
Crazy Heart (2009)
TRON: Legacy (2010)
True Grit (2010)