Oscar Wins
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Crazy Heart
Oscar Nominations
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Hell or High Water
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
True Grit
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
The Contender
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Starman
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
The Last Picture Show
Reflecting on his Oscar win, Jeff Bridges recognizes it as a significant milestone in his career. "It signifies being in a club of people that I really admire," he says. "I look at it as kind of the tip of a pyramid."
"Mom and Dad, look! Whoo! Thank you, Mom and Dad, for turning me on to such a groovy profession. My dad and my mom loved showbiz so much. I remember my mom getting all of us kids to entertain at her parties, and my dad sitting me on his bed and teaching me all of the basics of acting for a role in Sea Hunt. This is honoring them as much as it is me."
- Accepting his Oscar at the 82nd Academy Awards
"Filmmaking is such a collaborative experience, you have all these experts making something beautiful together," he muses. "Every once in a while, a movie that you thought could be good exceeds your expectations. The Last Picture Show, The Big Lebowski, True Grit, The Fabulous Baker Boys, and Crazy Heart all exceeded my expectations."
"The other thing that I learned – that kind of dovetails with winning the Oscar – was that this is an opportunity you've been awarded," Bridges continues. "Opportunities are not going to last. You're gonna die one day. And there's certainly fear and anxiety: Am I enough? Am I any good? What difference can I make? But that's kind of a given; it seems to show up all the time. I'm 74 and, inside, there's a voice saying, 'You got some stuff to share.'"
Bridges goes on to assert that the best thing to do is to not compare yourself to anybody, and share what you've got while you still can. "Be uncomfortable," he urges. "Now's the time, man."
