When Philip Seymour Hoffman died in 2014, we lost one of the great actors – not just of his generation, but ever. And while we can watch any of his brilliant performances any time we want, his legacy is truly being carried on by his son, Cooper. Cooper Hoffman was first pulled in front of the camera by Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed PSH in five films, for 2021’s Licorice Pizza, since marking his own path. And while he has been praised himself, he still wishes he could talk to his dad about his experiences.
Earlier this year, Cooper Hoffman turned up in a production of Sam Shepard’s Curse of the Starving Class, playing the part of Wesley, a role that’s also been played by the likes of Bradley Whitford and Henry Thomas. It was then that Hoffman – who had never done stage work before – once again found himself longing to chat with his old man. “The only person I really wanted to talk to was my dad. He’s my favorite actor, but he’s also my dad. He’s also not here. A lot of people idolize their parents because they’re great parents. It’s a different thing to idolize your parent because you love their art. So as much as I would love him to be here and talk to him about acting, I also would be terrified to have him see my stuff and judge my stuff. Not that he would judge it, because he was a very empathetic person, and he would probably – hopefully – hold my hand through all of it…I get to figure this out on my own. But also, I would love his advice. And I would also just love my dad.”
Cooper Hoffman is forging a fine career for himself so far. After earning a Golden Globe nomination for Licorice Pizza, he ended up being directed by the likes of Ethan Hawke (Wildcat), Simon West (Old Guy) and Jason Reitman (Saturday Night). He can next be seen in The Long Walk and Poetic License (the directorial debut of Maude Apatow, daughter of Judd), both premiering this year. He also has movies for Luca Guadagnino and Gregg Araki lined up.
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