Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014)

At some point, I don't remember exactly when, Philip Seymour Hoffman overtook Steve Buscemi as my favourite (living) actor, but I do remember why. He played disconnected people so well, so true, so recognisably. He broke my heart so many times in these roles but never as much as he has now. I never met him and...well I never will, but I felt close to him because he played people that I felt I understood or, more importantly, people that I think would have understood me. I have written about my connection with film before and in that I mentioned one of my favourite performances of his; a performance that I truly adored and admired and identified with. This was his portrayal of Caden Cotard in Synecdoche, New York (2008), a man struggling to cope with life, to get to grips with life, and so to just live life. There are many more. In his only film as director, Jack Goes Boating (2010), he played a man who couldn't understand others relationships to one another. In Boogie Nights (1997) he was Scotty J, a confused individual that was too scared to show his true feelings, and when he did he was crushed. 25th Hour (2002) saw his Jacob try to be the balance between the more volatile aspects of Barry Pepper's Frank and Ed Norton's Monty, a quiet voice of reason. In Mary and Max (2009) he voiced a man with Aspergers with great understanding. Tom Cruise received plaudits for his performance in Magnolia (1999) despite the fact that he was not even the best person in most his scenes let alone the film. One scene in particular stands out as Cruise convulses with grief, in a showy almost pantomime fashion, Hoffman stands behind him and a single tear rolls down his cheek; we feel his emotion.

He had an amazing range and played comedy as well as he did drama. He played the confident as well as he played the insecure.

I believed everything he did.

I haven't put the time, and so probably the thought, into this post that I normally try to and so I apologise if it doesn't make a great deal of sense, but then neither does the death of a hugely talented 46 year old. It genuinely breaks my heart to know that I will never see him portray anyone [me] on screen again. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be "in seclusion in the west wing". J

Filmography