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Hollywood Mourns Philip Seymour Hoffman

UPDATED: Frequent co-star Julianne Moore said she was "deeply saddened by his passing" while screenwriter Aaron Sorkin reflected, "He was a wonderful man and my generation's greatest actor, but three young kids lost their father and that's all that matters."

Philip Seymour Hoffman Death: Hollywood Mourns

Philip Seymour Hoffman - H 2014

 

 AP Images

Hollywood is paying its respects to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was found dead Sunday in the bathroom of his apartment in the West Village. The 46-year-old Oscar winner died of an apparent drug overdose, according to CNN.

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Julianne Moore, who co-starred with Hoffman in multiple films including Boogie Nights, Magnolia and the upcoming Hunger Games sequel Mockingjay, said in a statement: “I feel so fortunate to have known and worked with the extraordinary Philip Seymour Hoffman, and am deeply saddened by his passing. My thoughts and condolences are with his family.”

Cameron Crowe, who directed Hoffman in Almost Famous, shared his memories of filming one of the movie’s most touching scenes. On his blog the day after Hoffman was found dead, Crowe wrote, “My original take on this scene was a loud, late night pronouncement from Lester Bangs. A call to arms. In Phil’s hands it became something different. A scene about quiet truths shared between two guys, both at the crossroads, both hurting, and both up too late. It became the soul of the movie. In between takes, Hoffman spoke to no one. He listened only to his headset, only to the words of Lester himself. (His Walkman was filled with rare Lester interviews.) When the scene was over, I realized that Hoffman had pulled off a magic trick. He’d leapt over the words and the script, and gone hunting for the soul and compassion of the private Lester, the one only a few of us had ever met. Suddenly the portrait was complete. The crew and I will always be grateful for that front row seat to his genius.”

Tom Hanks, who worked with Hoffman in Charlie Wilson’s War, said in a statement “This is a horrible day for those who worked with Philip. He was a giant talent. Our hearts are open for his family.”

Jeff Bridges shared his thoughts in a Facebook post: “I’m so shocked, and so sad hearing of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death. I enjoyed playing with him on The Big Lebowski. He was such a wonderful guy, and so damn talented, a real treasure. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

George Clooney, who worked with Hoffman on The Ides of March, said in a statement “There are no words. It’s just terrible.”

 

Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the screenplays for two of Hoffman’s films, Moneyball and Charlie Wilson’s War, said “He was a wonderful man and my generation’s greatest actor, but three young kids lost their father and that’s all that matters.”

PHOTOS: Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Career in Pictures

Mike Nichols, who directed Hoffman in Charlie Wilson’s War, said through his rep “No words for this. He was too great and we are too shattered.”

Broadway director Matthew Warchus, who directed the late actor in True West, said “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the news of Phil’s death. It is a terrible loss and a true tragedy for his family. I had a great time working with him. He had extraordinarily high standards and was also extremely funny. He was an exceptional artist and I liked him enormously.”

Nicole Kidman, who co-starred with Hoffman in Cold Mountain, said, “What a devastating loss. He was one of the greatest actor’s actor of all time. He’d take your breath away, he was so talented. My thoughts and blessings are with Philip Seymour Hoffman’s family.”

Anton Corbijn, who directed Hoffman in the upcoming thriller A Most Wanted Man said he was shocked by the news: “We spent some time together only two weeks ago and he seemed in a good place despite some issues he had to deal with. He was not only the most gifted actor I ever worked with (and judging by the legacy he leaves behind I am certain I share this with most if not all directors who were fortunate enough to work with him), he had also become an incredibly inspiring and supportive friend.”

STORY: Future of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Film, TV Projects Left Uncertain

Hoffman was in the midst of filming his role in Lionsgate’s two-part Hunger Games sequel Mockingjay. Director Francis Lawrence, star Jennifer Lawrence, the book series’ author Suzanne Collins and producers Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik released the following statement on behalf of the film’s cast and crew: “Words cannot convey the devastating loss we are all feeling right now. Philip was a wonderful person and an exceptional talent, and our hearts are breaking. Our deepest thoughts and condolences go out to his family.”

The creator, writer and executive producer of Showtime’s Happyish, which was set to star Hoffman, also mourned the actor’s passing. Shalom Auslander said, “This planet is no damned place to have a heart, and Phil had the biggest, brokenest heart of anyone I have ever met. He was a beautiful person in a hideous world. Great actor, too.”

On Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, several of those who worked with Hoffman remembered their late friend. Producer Megan Ellison, who worked on The Master, tweeted, “My heart is broken.” Ben Stiller, who co-starred with Hoffman in Along Came Polly, wrote, “What a huge loss. A brilliant actor and a warm, generous, humble person. Phil Hoffman.” House of Cards creator Beau Willimon, who wrote the play Farrugut North on which Ides of March was based, tweeted, “So very sad about Philip Seymour Hoffman. A titan in both theater and film. We’re all blessed that he shared his talent with us.” His Invention of Lying co-star Ricky Gervais tweeted, “Such shocking & sad news. RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman. One of the greatest actors of a generation and a sweet, funny & humble man.” Hoffman’s Talented Mr. Ripley co-star Gwyneth Paltrow posted a photo of the cast sharing dinner together in 1998 in Ischia on Instagram, captioning it: “Philip was a true genius.” Boogie Nights co-star Mark Wahlberg  tweeted the following: “Saddened by the passing of friend and colleague Philip Seymour Hoffman…such a tragic loss. Miss you, Scotty J. RIP.”

VIDEO: Philip Seymour Hoffman: 9 Memorable Movie Roles

Others tweeting their condolences included Kevin Spacey, Ellen DeGeneres, Katie Couric, Jim Carrey, James L. Brooks, Jon Favreau and Dana Brunetti. Aaron Paul wrote, “We lost one of the greats today,” while Mia Farrow tweeted that Hoffman was a “truly kind, wonderful man and one of our greatest actors.” Entourage creator Doug Ellin tweeted he was “literally devastated” by Hoffman’s death and called him a “true genius.”

Find more tributes below. This post will be updated as more come in.

 

Post by Jeff Bridges.

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