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Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead in NYC

Really too bad. He was incredibly talented.
 
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Wow! Terrible news. One of the finest actors of his generation... and so young! RIP Philip.
 
I just saw this. So sad, poor man.
 
I'm reading a suspected drug overdose. Suicide or accident, no idea yet. Too sad!
 
I once lived in the acting world and it's no cake walk... even for those who make it.

I think we will all miss him greatly, he brought a presence to his roles unrivaled among most of his peers and he was truly a master of his craft.

Whatever the case may be... RIP Phil.
 
This pisses me off. I really liked him. Dumbass still had the needle in his arm when they found him.

What a waste of talent. He left a family.
 
Sad, but I pegged him to be 56, not 46. That was surprising to me.
 
Jetboogieman said:
I once lived in the acting world and it's no cake walk... even for those who make it.

I think we will all miss him greatly, he brought a presence to his roles unrivaled among most of his peers and he was truly a master of his craft.

Whatever the case may be... RIP Phil.
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Makes you question if these actors are hooked on drugs b/c they're rich or b/c it's the culture? Proof positive money does not buy happiness or peace!
 
herenow1 said:
Makes you question if these actors are hooked on drugs b/c they're rich or b/c it's the culture?
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Neither.

Actors tend to be incredibly depressed individuals, not as a rule but as a general trend.

I know I was, to a horrific extent, I had serious substance abuse problems back in those days and I got away to try to stop that trend, now when people ask me "Oh why don't you go audition for the local play" or whatever I always muddle my way through the subject, even thinking about going back to it is intensely painful to me.

But the problem is when you do that performance, when you feel that adoration... that's a drug in and of itself and all you want to do is keep that feeling going.

My worst substance abuse issues resulted from my greatest triumphs.
 
Jetboogieman said:
Neither.

Actors tend to be incredibly depressed individuals, not as a rule but as a general trend.

I know I was, to a horrific extent, I had serious substance abuse problems back in those days and I got away to try to stop that trend, now when people ask me "Oh why don't you go audition for the local play" or whatever I always muddle my way through the subject, even thinking about going back to it is intensely painful to me.

But the problem is when you do that performance, when you feel that adoration... that's a drug in and of itself and all you want to do is keep that feeling going.

My worst substance abuse issues resulted from my greatest triumphs.
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Why do you think that is? That they are so depressed? I know that they have issues like all of us, but most people's issues are resolved with money, and it seems that money causes the problems that these people have.

This really makes me angry. I don't know why - he was such a talent, and now he just died looking weak. Like David Carradine.
 
RIP my man!!
 
On TV last night I saw a musician on Austin City Limits comment on how it is nice to have a job where people applaud you every three minutes. I can understand how returning to normal life between projects can be a let down.

Hoffman stood out as an actor from the first time I saw him. (Boogie Nights and Happiness)
 
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Superfly said:
Why do you think that is?
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It's a tough one.

When I think back to it all, I've always been somewhat depressed...

But going career acting forces you to face your issues more than regular people.

Now I can't speak for every persons method of acting but generally what acting school/training does is try to break down your walls.

We had to talk about intensely personal stuff in class, there was crying, there was anger.

the reason for this is you have to be able to bring that stuff up in your performance, you have to be able to let your heart break to make that scene work.

Add to that an already depressed state of mind and a pre-disposition for substance abuse and you got yourself a powderkeg.

I actually once brushed shoulders with Mr. Monteith there as we had the same acting teacher... great guy but underneath there were serious issues but I'll say no more.
 
Such a great actor, so many great films, Syndoche NY, Hard Eight, Big Lebowski, Magnolia, Truman, The Master.

Very very sad to see such a talent gone...
 
Jetboogieman said:
It's a tough one.

When I think back to it all, I've always been somewhat depressed...

But going career acting forces you to face your issues more than regular people.

Now I can't speak for every persons method of acting but generally what acting school/training does is try to break down your walls.

We had to talk about intensely personal stuff in class, there was crying, there was anger.

the reason for this is you have to be able to bring that stuff up in your performance, you have to be able to let your heart break to make that scene work.

Add to that an already depressed state of mind and a pre-disposition for substance abuse and you got yourself a powderkeg.

I actually once brushed shoulders with Mr. Monteith there as we had the same acting teacher... great guy but underneath there were serious issues but I'll say no more.
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Damn. Thanks for sharing.
 
1. Philip Seymour Hoffman is from my hometown. It has not been a good week for Rochester-area quasi-celebrities (this makes 2 gone).

2. What a terrific actor. He's been in a few of my absolute favorite films (The Big Lebowski, Boogie Nights, Almost Famous, Moneyball, Charlie Wilson's War). Talented and versatile.

He'll be missed.
 
Jetboogieman said:
It's a tough one.

When I think back to it all, I've always been somewhat depressed...

But going career acting forces you to face your issues more than regular people.

Now I can't speak for every persons method of acting but generally what acting school/training does is try to break down your walls.

We had to talk about intensely personal stuff in class, there was crying, there was anger.

the reason for this is you have to be able to bring that stuff up in your performance, you have to be able to let your heart break to make that scene work.

Add to that an already depressed state of mind and a pre-disposition for substance abuse and you got yourself a powderkeg.

I actually once brushed shoulders with Mr. Monteith there as we had the same acting teacher... great guy but underneath there were serious issues but I'll say no more.
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My impression from hanging with actors and comedians is that they tend to be people desperate for attention and strongly desiring external validation.
 
herenow1 said:
Makes you question if these actors are hooked on drugs b/c they're rich or b/c it's the culture? Proof positive money does not buy happiness or peace!
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neither do drugs
 
"Hot Shot" is a fatal dosage of any drug used to kill the user. This could be murder or suicide as the potency was so great he never even removed the needle. A brilliant talent gone.
When is the last time you went through a typical day and did not hear the word "drugs"?
 
Oh that Seymour Hoffman died! I just noticed his facial image and then recognized him!

RIP man. If he was depressed and modest then it seems his characters were not that off base then.

Jetboogieman said:
It's a tough one.

When I think back to it all, I've always been somewhat depressed...

But going career acting forces you to face your issues more than regular people.

Now I can't speak for every persons method of acting but generally what acting school/training does is try to break down your walls.

We had to talk about intensely personal stuff in class, there was crying, there was anger.

the reason for this is you have to be able to bring that stuff up in your performance, you have to be able to let your heart break to make that scene work.
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So you search for issues that are so sad that you have experienced or that you know that they can make you cry and grab a hold of them. Then release and expose yourself to such memories under the camera so as to make the response in the scene most realistic looking for the audience.

Sounds like an incredible self-backstabbing, self-controlling, emotion selling profession done all in the name of audience. On top of that you have bad audiences as well as critics and low income (till famous) to worry about.

No wonder they call whores as "actors" in the porn industry. I think this profession has harvested too much attention and talents. People should own back their emotions for themselves rather than capitalize on them and reserve it for sometimes undeserving audiences.
 
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