›› TALKiNG PiCTURES
So many people cite Jeff Bridges as an underrated actor these days, that he’s actually now overrated.
Ruling the Rooster Local thespian calls Jeff Bridges Hollywood royalty—but he’s still no Duke by D av i d Te m p l e t o n
“J
eff Bridges is, without reservation, tail Hour and A Few Good Men (Ross Valley one of the best actors working Players), Death Of a Salesman (6th Street Playtoday,” says Eric Burke, flashing a house) and others. Currently, he’s preparing to quick smile at the waitress who’s just deplay the lead in James Dunn’s production of livered his double espresso. “Jeff Bridges,” Sidney Kingsley’s sprawling Detective Story. Burke continues, “makes acting look easy, Opening in March at the College of Marin, and let me tell you, anyone who sits there the 1949 play, with a cast of more than 50 acand says that acting is easy, doesn’t know tors and a complex day-in-the-life storyline, the first thing about is already receiving plenty of acting. I’m not saying advance buzz, shaping up to acting can save lives be one of the must-see theor cure cancer or pull ater events of the season. someone from a burnFor Burke, the character ing high-rise, but acting of embittered Lt. James does serve a vital funcMcLeod, though a monster tion. It provides insight, of a role (in more ways than distraction, hope and one), is exactly the kind of inspiration. And though part he’s built his reputation acting may be very easy on. for people to dismiss, “As I start to work on it’s something that very this play,” he says, “it makes few people can actually me truly appreciate those do.” moments, on screen and on Burke, as North Bay stage, when an actor gives a theater fans (and plenty Look for Burke’s turn as Lieutenant James truly nuanced performance. of critics) will affirm, is McLeod in the College of Marin’s upcoming I was thinking about this among those actors who production of ‘Detective Story.’ when I was watching True do it well, and also make it Grit. What are all the little look easy. A hardworking things the actors do that veteran of stage and film for over 20 years, he make me, as an audience member, believe has split his efforts between electrifying stage them? In Detective Story, I spend a lot of performances in the Bay Area and small film time talking on the phone. For the audiroles in Los Angeles. Locally, he’s earned raves ence, it’s easy to not get involved in those for his performances in True West (Double E kinds of scenes, when you’re watching an Productions), Glengarry Glen Ross, The Cock- actor speak on the phone to his wife—be25 PACIFIC SUN JANUARY 14, 2010 - JANUARY 20, 2011
Of course, it was a risk for John Wayne cause you don’t see the wife. But if the actor is doing his job, you can feel that relation- to take that part as well. Wayne had always played a certain kind of gruff, angry hero, ship anyway, just in the way the actor a guy men looked up to as an ideal of chistalks to her. In True Grit, Jeff Bridges eled masculinity—and then came Rooster plays the character of Rooster Cogburn Cogburn, a guy who’d snarl, “I’m too old so well, you feel his entire life stretching out behind him from the minute you first and too fat.” Watching the original movie, see the guy. It’s an amazing performance.” it’s obvious how much the guy loves playing True Grit, of course, is Joel and Ethan that character. You can almost hear John Coen’s stripped-down remake of the clas- Wayne thinking, “Why the hell couldn’t they give me parts sic 1969 western that like this 20 years earned John Wayne ago!” his only Oscar for “Even a guy best actor. Playing as iconic as John the over-the-hill, Wayne,” says Burke, one-eyed, alco“was kind of trapped holic Cogburn gave by the Hollywood Wayne a huge boost, studios, by a system proving to many, that liked him to do once and for all, the kind of thing that the guy could he’d always done. act. For Jeff Bridges, It was the same for there has never been Humphrey Bogart any question about his acting abilities. The Duke’s lovable performance in the 1969 ‘True Grit’ earned and guys like that. The studios almost He is at the top of him an Oscar—and a 1975 sequel,‘Rooster Cogburn.’ never let them play most critics’ list of against type.” the best actors makThat said, John Wayne did play against ing movies today. “Jeff Bridges is about as close to Hol- type in the film The Conqueror, portraying lywood royalty as you can get, and yet he’s the Mongol madman Genghis Khan— never anything less than an outstanding ac- and it’s now considered one of the worst movies ever made, tor,” Burke remarks. and one of Wayne’s “Personally, I think most embarrassing he’s far greater an performances. actor than his father “You know, it Lloyd Bridges ever must have been was. I’ve got to say, very cathartic for it’s very daring for John Wayne to play anyone to take on a Rooster Cogburn,” movie like True Grit, Burke muses. “I to remake somethink that if he’d had thing that legendary. the power to pick You’re talking about and choose his movJohn Wayne! I’ve ies, like Jeff Bridges never been a tremendoes, then today dous John Wayne Not all of John Wayne’s opportunities to play against you’d be talking fan, but you cannot type paid off... about John Wayne as deny the force that a great actor, because John Wayne was. This guy was an icon, standing side-by-side he had movies where he showed how great with Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper and Jimmy he was, but they were few and far between. “You know what it boils down to? It Stewart. He was a true heavyweight!” comes down to who’s an actor, and who’s Burke is familiar with stepping into a movie star. Matthew McConaughey is a a heavyweight’s shoes, having played a movie star, but except for his performance number of roles made famous by other actors, including the role of Col. Jessep in in Dazed and Confused, he’s not much of an actor. Charlize Theron—a beautiful woman, A Few Good Men. and someone willing to gain weight and “That was interesting,” Burke grins, “playing a part that Jack Nicholson pretty take off her makeup for a role, but that doesn’t make her a good actor. Then you much owns. Every night, as I was buildhave someone like Jeff Bridges, and to a ing up to the moment when I’d say, ‘You can’t handle the truth!’ you could feel the certain degree with John Wayne, somebody who is a movie star and an actor. audience anticipating that. One of the “Those are the kinds of performers,” most famous lines in stage and screen says Burke, “that make other actors want to history! All I could do was be true to the become actors. That’s the power they have. character, and make it as real as I could. It’s absolutely electrifying.” ✹ If I’d tried to do it the way Nicholson did it, I’d have been betraying my craft. So I Crow to David at talkpix@earthlink.net. really respect Jeff Bridges for having the It’s your movie, speak up at guts to put on the eye patch and take on a ›› pacificsun.com role like Rooster Cogburn.”