Philip Seymour Hoffman Played Unhealthy Well

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character in his final leading role is a troubled alcoholic. Anton Corbijn directed Hoffman in A Most Wanted Man and said Hoffman was perfect for the part:

“He channeled part of the state he was in at the time into that character. They were more closely linked than, say, the character he played in ‘The Master’… It will always be harder to differentiate in this role between how people perceived him to be as a person and what he gave us on the film.”

This is what makes Hoffman one of the greatest actors of our generation. If you have a debilitating drug addiction, choose a film that allows you to stumble into work with pit stains and be heaped with critical praise for you performance. If you have picked up a two pack a day habit make sure your character smokes constantly. If he does not, have your agent get it written in. Hoffman never needed to get creepy skinny like Jonah Hill so he could play lame dudes with giant heads. Hoffman picked characters with the verge of death pallor. His honesty in self-reflection is what I will miss most.

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