I’m genuinely upset by this, such a talented and versatile actor. RIP.
This is why I stick to alcohol. Booze (for me anyways) is something I can control. From what I read and heard of hard drugs you cant control them, they control you
I don’t know why you think that’s probable, but I’ve known two people that were declared overdoses that both had a needle in their arm. Here’s an article with a quote from a coroner.
http://www.katu.com/news/local/Cowtliz-County-reports-seven-heroin-overdose-deaths-146200595.html
Back in the late 90s, I lived on the upper east side of Manhattan. I had a friend Rikki who worked at a bookstore called Logos on Yorkville Avenue (which is a sort of out of the way neighborhood in the city - not a lot of tourists, not a ‘destination’ nabe.) I would sometimes stop in the stop in the store and hang out and have coffee with Rikki since there were never many customers there.
One afternoon when I was there, a shlubby guy with a scruffy beard, rumpled sweatshirt and torn-up jeans came in and browsed for books for a while. He picked out a few books, asked about the release dates for a few others. He chatted with Rikki and myself for about 15-20 minutes about books and authors. After he left, Rikki said to me "Did you recognize him?’’ I shook my head. “That was Philip Seymour Hoffman; the actor.” PSH had only recently been making a name for himself. I was very surprised.
“The guy from ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’”??" I said. Rikki nodded. Hoffman had a supporting role in that film, but easily walked away with every scene he appeared in. I was a little surprised to realize I’d been talking to him. He was the very antithesis of the ‘Hollywood movie star’ archetype - he was down-to-earth, clearly very smart and passionate about literature. According to my friend Rikki, he came in to the bookstore often, and was always very amiable and nice.
Not to disparage any of the other big stars who died too soon, but thinking of that brief meeting about 16 years ago it makes me especially sad to see him go out this way. RIP.
He was one of very few actors who I’d watch in anything. I can’t think of a movie which he didn’t make better by being in it.
Not derail this thread, but this is bullshit. My son is an addict and can no more control his urge to drink than a druggie can control his urge for a fix. Booze killed my father, not drugs.
As everyone pointed out at the time, he may as well have been in a different movie than his co-stars when he walked off with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III, as the guy who essentially says, no, see, you’re in over your head here, and you don’t even know it, and you’re bluffing, and it’s obvious, and, to be honest, that’s why I’m going to throw in a little torture before you die.
That’s where I first noticed him too. As a young student torn between telling the truth and feeling pressured to lie, he was completely natural and believable, and that goes for everything I’ve seen him in since. You see someone who is so in command of himself in his work, you think he’s like that naturally, so his death is a real shock. He must have had some awful demons to deal with. A real tragedy.
Right, but thats your son and this is me. Thats why I wrote (for me anyways).
Plenty of people can control their drinking, I’m sorry to hear your family could not
How very sad. Fucking drugs.
He had a wonderful little cameo in The Invention of Lying.. Ricky Gervais reads the note he sent to Hoffman asking him to be in the movie.
I understand teenagers dying from heroin because they don’t listen to a goddamn thing anybody tells them but this guy survived his drug years. He knew what this shit did.
Another waste of talent dead before his time.
Why would that make a difference to an addict? Do you think there are no smart, intelligent addicts who know the risks?
Are we even certain what the cause of death is?
Lots of actors die young of drug-realted problems.
Then, their colleagues mourn the “untimely death of a friend”.
After that they say he/she was doing drugs all during the filming.
Nice friends. As long as they hit their cues and make money, they don’t care.
Has 3 kids too. Shit.
Does something you’ve said made it evident that they’re not good friends? I have a close relative that is a heroin addict and I love him very much. I know of times that it was obvious he was using. So does his mother and everyone else close to him. There’s only so much we can do for him when he falls off the wagon and it’s not enough. We can’t make him stop. We’ll have similar things to say if heroin takes his life and it doesn’t make us “some family” and it doesn’t mean we don’t care.
This is true.
However, he did make one movie called Love Liza.
In that film he portrayed an unfortunate who was hopelessly addicted to huffing gasoline.
I just saw that movie 3 days ago and it was eery.
He was the only reason I watched M:I3. Damn.