“Old Man” inspires Jeff Bridges to reprise his roles in “Starman” and “Lebowski”

1 of 6 | Jeff Bridges said he can still identify with his character in The Old Man at age 74. Photo courtesy of FX

The Oscar winner for Crazy Heart and star of the films of The last slide show To Hell or high water said he has two roles he would like to pursue.

“Starman, because Karen Allen is holding my baby,” Bridges told reporters at the Television Critics Association in Pasadena, California. “The same goes for The Dude in The Big Lebowski.”

In StarmanBridges played an alien who impregnates a widow (Allen) before returning home. The Big Lebowskia femme fatale (Julianne Moore) sleeps with his character in order to conceive a baby.

Bridges was allowed to make sequels to Last picture And Tron. Texasville was released in 1990 and Tron: Legacy was published in 2010.

He will play video game inventor Kevin Flynn for the third time in the upcoming Tron: Aresbut says that Jared Leto will take on the lead role in the science fiction franchise.

“It's so wild with Jared Leto, the star of the show,” said Bridges. “I have my original helmet from Tronit's kind of a revamped hockey helmet, and I presented it to him and passed the torch to him.”

Bridges said even playing Chase in a second season is different than playing Chase in a sequel. A film, whether it's an original or a sequel, is finite, he said.

“When you make a movie, you have a beginning, a middle and an end,” Bridges said. “With a show like this, I don't know what's going to happen, just like you.”

Bridges referred to another film role when describing his preparations for the role of Chase, saying that the role of the aging agent was as natural to him as the role of the piano sibling with his real-life brother Beau in The fabulous Baker Boys.

“If it were any other actor, I'd say, 'How do we show that we're brothers here?'” Bridges said. “Because we're brothers, we can just relax, and that's true on this show. I'm an old man, I don't have to act it.”

Bridges said former CIA agent Christopher Huttleston is the show's consultant and helps him with aspects of the show related to the agency.

Bridges comes from a family in show business and said he has watched the evolution of television. His father Lloyd starred in shows such as Sea hunting And The Lloyd Bridges Showand Bridges remembers it being difficult for his father.

“I saw him struggle with time not giving him enough time and the quality wasn't the same as when he was making films, but that's all changed now,” Bridges said. “I don't see any difference except that you don't know where the story is going, which is fascinating.”

The old man also coincided with a real health scare. When Season 1 was paused in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors discovered a tumor in Bridges' stomach and he underwent chemotherapy.

“In the first season, when I was doing those fight scenes, I had a 9-by-12-inch tumor in my body, in my stomach, that didn't hurt at all,” Bridges said. “Now I'm doing great.”

Bridges' recovery was further complicated by contracting COVID-19. He said he took his recovery step by step, first building up his stamina to stand up and walk.

The wedding of Bridges' daughter Hailey in 2022 provided additional motivation.

“I said, 'Oh, do you think I could walk her down the aisle?'” Bridges said. “I danced with her, quickly took my seat and got some oxygen.”

Bridges worked privately with a trainer and wrote The old man Stunt coordinators Tim Connolly and Thomas DuPont helped manage the physical demands of the show.

“I still have a childlike side,” Bridges said, describing the joy he gets “from being on horseback and stuff, and just running around and having fun.”