Hoffman at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014
(Danny Moloshok/AP)
Critically-acclaimed actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died Sunday from a suspected drug overdose.
The 46-year-old was found dead in his Greenwich Village home in New York Sunday morning. Hoffman has three children with his partner of 15 years, Mimi O’Donnell.
Sources tell the Associated Press Hoffman had a syringe stuck into his arm when he was found by a friend who called 911. There were also envelopes of heroin in the apartment. An autopsy to determine Hoffman’s cause of death is expected to take place Monday.
Hoffman spoke candidly over the years about his past struggles with addiction. After 23 years sober, he admitted to falling off the wagon with prescription pills and heroin. That led to a stint in rehab.
In a 2011 interview with the Guardian, Hoffman described his addictions as “pretty bad”. “I had no interest in drinking in moderation. And I still don’t”, he told the paper. “Just because all that time’s passed doesn’t mean maybe it was just a phase.”
Hoffman’s family released the following statement Sunday afternoon.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone. This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time of grieving. Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers.”
Movie critic Richard Crouse told Newstalk 1010 Sunday Hoffman had “an incredibly diverse career and knocked it out of the park virtually every time.”
Hoffman won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of writer Truman Capote in the 2005 biopic “Capote”. He received three nominations in the Best Supporting Actor category for The Master, Doubt and Charlie Wilson’s War.
Crouse says Hoffman brought a soulful-ness and a believability to his performances. “When you saw him on screen, there was nothing really false about it, you never really saw the acting.”
One of Hoffman’s breakthrough roles was as a gay member of a porno film crew in “Boogie Nights”, one of several movies Paul Thomas Anderson-directed movies that he would eventually appear in.
Hoffman often took on comic, slightly off-kilter roles in movies like “Along Came Polly”, “The Big Lebowski” and “Almost Famous”, in which he plays real life rock critic Lester Bangs. Crouse says Hoffman’s turn as Bangs is his favourite performance by the actor.
“He seems like such a huge part of it and he’s just such a great shining white light in the middle of this movie, even though it is a relatively small part. And that’s a testament to his talent”, says Crouse.
Hoffman was set to reprise his role as Plutarch Heavensbee in the next instalment of the “The Hunger Games” franchise, “Mockingjay. Showtime recently announced Hoffman would star in “Happyish,” a TV comedy series about a middle-aged man’s pursuit of happiness.
Crouse says in interviews, Hoffman wasn’t interested in talking about his craft as an actor, but would speak passionately about books.
Hoffman began his acting career on stage. He studied theatre as a teenager with the New York State Summer School of the Arts and the Circle in the Square Theatre. He then majored in drama at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Hoffman performed in revivals of “True West,” “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” and “The Seagull”, a summer production that also featured Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. In 2012, he was more than equal to one of the great roles in American theatre, Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman”.
Hoffman was three times nominated for a Tony, but never won.
Josh Hutcherson grew up on film sets. As a child actor he worked with Julianne Moore and Annette Bening in the Oscar nominated The Kids Are Alright. He also appeared with Tim Robbins and Kristen Stewart in Zathura. So it’s safe to say he’s used to seeing stars on set. While shooting The Hunger Games, however, he saw stars of a different kind when Jennifer Lawrence “threw an incredibly perfect kick right to my temple.”
“It was a complete accident,” he says, “but I went down and saw stars. She was crying and saying how sorry she was and I was trying to comfort her, even though I was the one in pain.”
Taking a kick to the head was one of the challenges of making the action film, but Hutcherson says the main test was making a movie that was true to the spirit of the book.
“The world outside Hollywood has this idea that when a big book is made into a movie it’s only so Hollywood can cash in on it. That is not at all what our mission was. We didn’t want this to be the book on tape version, but we wanted to tell the story as if you were reading it in the book. Pretty much everyone involved with the movie from the actors to the cameramen and grips on set loved the books and wanted to see it done properly.”
The story, he says, resonated with him but it was the character Peeta that drew him in.
“I liked who Peeta was as a person,” he says. “He really believes strongly in not changing his beliefs no matter what kind of circumstances he’s in, and that is something I’ve always prided myself in believing in.”
As a result he makes an indelible impression as the idealistic Tribute from District 12.
“If there is one character I want to be known for it is definitely this,” he says. “The books are extremely powerful and the character is someone I really connected with.”
The process of making the film so satisfying, says the nineteen-year-old actor, that even if he didn’t get to play Peeta again–but don’t worry, he will–he is happy.
“Liam (Hemsworth) said if something happened and we didn’t get to make another one of these, we’re so happy having this be the one, and I agree,” he says. “We don’t feel like an open wound where it needs to be healed up. This is its own, free-standing thing.”
Now that Harry Potter has cast his last cinematic spell and “Twilight” is fast fading into that breaking dawn, Hollywood is looking for the next best young adult sensation.
But how do you replace one of the biggest movie franchises of all time and the series that gave us warring werewolves and vampires?
How about with a blockbuster that feels like an indie film? “The Hunger Games” is poised to become a massive hit, but it feels more like a character study than the start of an epic payday for Tinsel Town.
Based on the first book in Suzanne Collins’s mega-successful series, “The Hunger Games” is set in Panem, a dystopian world ruled by a fascistic leader (Donald Sutherland). Each year the state hold The Hunger Games, a battle to death between twenty four players, two from each of the country’s districts. The televised games are equal parts “Miss Universe,” “American Idol” and “Death Race.” The story follows two “tributes” from District 12, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), two reluctant warriors whose survival is at stake.
From its opening moments “The Hunger Games” feels more intimate, thanks to some inventive hand held camera work, than you’d expect. And that’s a good thing.
As fans of the books know, the focus of the story is the characters. Sure they are thrown into a wild situation, but knowing and caring about Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark—admiring Katniss’s inner strength and courage or Peeta’s big heart—is as important to the success of the story as are the action scenes or the dystopian premise.
The result is a film that feels more mature than the “Twilight” series, although all the Young Adult tropes are very much in place.
Jennifer Lawrence has found the role that she will, likely, forever be associated with and brings substance to it. She imbues Katniss with a rich inner life—you can see the machinations of the character churning behind her eyes. This level of performance is critical to the success to not only this film, but also the inevitable sequels.
She is ably supported by Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Donald Sutherland Lenny Kravitz (who could easily have a second career as an actor) and Josh Hutcherson, but make no, mistake, this is her movie. She’s in virtually every scene and her growth from venerable shy girl to sly competitor is the beating heart of the story.
I enjoyed the subdued feel of “The Hunger Games,” but I couldn’t help but wonder what a truly visionary director like Terry Gilliam might have done with this material. Likely not handed in a PG-13 movie, but his imaginative, twisted take on a world where kids kill one another in reality shows would have been interesting to see.
Which is not to say director Gary “Seabiscuit” Ross has dropped the ball here. Not at all, he’s made a film that is both epic and intimate, timely—imagine the Kardashians with knives and bloodlust—which doesn’t pander to its audience.
“The Hunger Games” is somewhat formulaic in its approach, but it also is a (potential) blockbuster that puts the story and characters first and the special effects second. That’s a welcome formula.
At six-feet, two-inches with all-American good looks (even though he was born in Vancouver), Alexander Ludwig doesn’t look like a super villain. But to fans of The Hunger Games he is the baddest baddie of them all, Cato, the brute from District 2.
“He was born and raised a killer and that’s all he knew how to do,” says the 20-year-old actor.
“But he’s not your everyday villain. There’s a lot more substance and depth to this guy. You can tell he’s had a tortured life.”
Trained as a killer, Cato has spent his whole life preparing for his turn in The Hunger Games, a kind of murderous reality show.
“I’m playing the most feared guy in the arena so I didn’t know how I was going to be received by everyone else in the cast,” he says of his co-stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. “I was cautious about it, but everyone was amazing.”
One thing is for sure; he made an impression on one stunt man.
“I hit a stunt guy across the face with the butt end of a rubber bat when I was filming,” he says, “but once you do that you have keep going because they’re going to kick your ass if you don’t. ‘What are you doing? That was the perfect sell because you actually hit me.’ I felt so bad.”
He says that despite the movie’s dark subject matter and the odd bruised stunt man, the mood on set was light.
“It is important to have contrast when the material is so dark. There’s all this tense energy and right after they yell, ‘Cut’ you can breathe.”
He’s also breathing a little easier now the movie is done and fans have embraced him.
“I have been so, so happy about the way I have been received because it could go either way,” he says.
“Everyone’s been very excited to see me and meet me. No one has said, ‘Screw you, Cato!’ I hope it stays like this. Everyone likes being liked and I chose this role knowing that it could go the other way.”
“I’m just riding this crazy experience. You really can’t think about it because you don’t know what to expect. Every day is a new experience.
I walked out of my hotel room this morning and there were fans outside. I can’t believe this is happening to me. It’s wild.”
SIDEBAR: “Everyone’s been very excited to see me and meet me. No one has said, ‘Screw you, Cato!’ I hope it stays like this. Everyone likes being liked and I chose this role knowing that it could go the other way.” Actor Alexander Ludwig, on playing the evil Cato in The Hunger Games.
Big screen adaptations of novels are common. This year everything from Big screen adaptations of novels are common. This year everything from The Lorax to The Hunger Games and even Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter are making the leap from page to stage.
Less common is the reworking of self-help books for the movies.
Earlier this year Think Like a Man, a rom com based on Steve Harvey’s bestselling advice book was a huge hit and this weekend pregnancy guide What to Expect When You’re Expecting gets the all star treatment as a comedy starring Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and Elizabeth Banks.
Self help guides rarely get adapted into movies because they generally lack a dramatic arc. 101 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills Instantly, 4th Edition, for instance, doesn’t offer up much in the way of exciting drama, but some filmmakers have found ways of creating stories from advice books.
In 1962 when Helen Gurley Brown’s book Sex and the Single Girl sold 2 million copies in 3 weeks, Hollywood came calling. The book’s then controversial premise—
that women should enjoy sex in or out of wedlock— was, however, watered down into a salute to marriage, which better suited the tone of the times than the book’s feminist message.
Years later both Sex and the City and Renée Zellweger’s sex farce Down with Love both looked to the book for inspiration.
The success of Sex and the Single Girl gave birth to Woody Allen’s adaptation of David Reuben’s sex manual Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask). Allen adapted the bestseller’s seven chapters—including What Happens During Ejaculation?—into vignettes which explored human sexuality.
In 2004 Tiny Fey shortened the unwieldy title Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughters Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence to Mean Girls. The story of high school cliques was a hit and launched the careers of Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried.
Not all self-help book adaptations are successful. One review for Let’s Go To Prison, based on an advice book by Jim Hogshire, said, “89 minutes that drag on like, well, a prison sentence,” while He’s Just Not That Into You was likened to “reliving your 20s, without any of the fun.”
Those flops haven’t stopped filmmakers from developing more stories from self-help books. Soon the most famous of them all, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, will be coming to a theatre near you. are making the leap from page to stage.
Less common is the reworking of self-help books for the movies.
Earlier this year Think Like a Man, a rom com based on Steve Harvey’s bestselling advice book was a huge hit and this weekend pregnancy guide What to Expect When You’re Expecting gets the all star treatment as a comedy starring Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and Elizabeth Banks.
Self help guides rarely get adapted into movies because they generally lack a dramatic arc. 101 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills Instantly, 4th Edition, for instance, doesn’t offer up much in the way of exciting drama, but some filmmakers have found ways of creating stories from advice books.
In 1962 when Helen Gurley Brown’s book Sex and the Single Girl sold 2 million copies in 3 weeks, Hollywood came calling. The book’s then controversial premise—
that women should enjoy sex in or out of wedlock— was, however, watered down into a salute to marriage, which better suited the tone of the times than the book’s feminist message.
Years later both Sex and the City and Renée Zellweger’s sex farce Down with Love both looked to the book for inspiration.
The success of Sex and the Single Girl gave birth to Woody Allen’s adaptation of David Reuben’s sex manual Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask). Allen adapted the bestseller’s seven chapters—including What Happens During Ejaculation?—into vignettes which explored human sexuality.
In 2004 Tiny Fey shortened the unwieldy title Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughters Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence to Mean Girls. The story of high school cliques was a hit and launched the careers of Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried.
Not all self-help book adaptations are successful. One review for Let’s Go To Prison, based on an advice book by Jim Hogshire, said, “89 minutes that drag on like, well, a prison sentence,” while He’s Just Not That Into You was likened to “reliving your 20s, without any of the fun.”
Those flops haven’t stopped filmmakers from developing more stories from self-help books. Soon the most famous of them all, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, will be coming to a theatre near you.
If you’ve read The Hunger Games novels, you’re likely excited about the big screen adaptation hitting theatres this Friday. The story of a dystopian world where children killing children is a national pastime — think American Idol, only with knives — was a mega-hit in book stores and promises to pack theatres.
But if the movie lineups are enough to keep you away from the theatre on Saturday night, here are some similar themed movies to get you in the mood.
Battle Royale is the ultra-violent Japanese cousin to The Hunger Games.
The movie is a futuristic nightmare about a group of kids who are shipped off to a remote island and forced to wage war against one another until only one remains.
The film’s bloody conflict enraged the Japanese censors who tried to ban the movie, but their plan backfired. Slapping a tough R15 rating on the film only increased people’s desire to see it. “Because it was forbidden,” says director Kinji Fukasaku, “they wanted to watch it even more.”
Also breathing the same air is Series 7: The Contenders, a parody of reality television where contestants hunt down and murder one another. This gory satire won a passing grade from Roger Ebert who said, “It’s not the idea that people will kill each other for entertainment that makes Series 7 jolting. What the movie correctly perceives is that somewhere along the line we’ve lost all sense of shame in our society.”
The idea of televising human blood sports isn’t new to the reality TV era, however. Years before Survivor made the phrase, “You’ve been voted off the island” a household term, Steven King and Arnold Schwarzenegger unleashed The Running Man on audiences.
Arnold plays a wrongly convicted man fighting for his survival on a TV game show, overseen by Family Feud host Richard Dawson.
“I’ll be back!” Arnold says, mimicking his Terminator catchphrase. “Only in a rerun,” says Dawson, who hopes Arnold bites it and gives the show a spike in ratings.
Finally, director Norman Jewison imagined a theme similar to The Hunger Games in his 1975 film Rollerball.
Set in 2018, it’s about a deadly sport that combines roller derby, hockey, football and a generous helping of violence.
The movie’s style seems a bit dated but the ideas aren’t. Jewisons’ prophetic take on violence, the influence of corporations and the state of entertainment are bang on.
