Hoffman, celebrity drug addiction, and the challenge of acting

CHICAGO, USA – By this time, iconic actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been dead for just a little over a week. 

His funeral was attended by family and peers he surely admired, and a more public memorial is set for later this month. 

His fans are still reeling from the loss. He was a character actor like none other, known for his harrowing ability to portray disturbing and distressed characters in a sympathetic light. Still, Hoffman was not a “leading man” in any conventional sense. Many leading actors rarely possess the depth and moral complications of their foils. He opted for more nuanced roles that drew upon his ability to make even the most unlikable, unsound character intriguing.

A perfect example of this preference was his decision to play Iago in a 2009 production of Othello: “I’ve never been all that interested in playing Hamlet,” Hoffman said in a New York Times interview with Lynn Hirschberg. “Hamlet is a role most actors are supposed to want to play, which is probably why it’s never intrigued me that much. But Iago – I guess his demons interest me more.”

Hoffman often appeared in the background, but even if only present in two or 3 scenes, he still left an impression on audiences. For example, Hoffman’s role in Almost Famous was minimal. As music journalist Lester Bangs, his scenes were few and far between, but many of the best quotes belong to Hoffman, whose role is to guide young William Miller into journalism.

Lester famously tells William (played by Patrick Fugit), “The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we’re uncool.”

Ease of access

Hoffman’s loss to the acting world is significant – he was the best of his generation. And it’s tragic also because his death, once again, draws the public’s attention to the high mortality rate of celebrity addicts. It’s not news that celebrity status comes with increased money, and therefore, increased access to drugs. For the rich and famous, there is no seeking drugs – the substances simply appear where the celebrities are. Parties, events, and clubs are all stomping grounds for high-end, expensive products, ranging from prescription pills to cocaine and heroin.

With few qualms about money, it’s no wonder celebrities can easily cave to experimentation. What’s worse, though, is that the very job which provides them with access to these substances is the same profession which may pressure, and eventually hook, stars into continuous drug use.

Stars young and old are are almost always depended upon by multiple people, including managers, families, hangers-on, to continue providing large incomes and above average lifestyles. In order to ensure this lifestyle’s continuance, it’s unlikely any financial dependents will disagree with or criticize a star’s actions.

And this is true among celebrities of all ages and nationalities – whether we’re talking about a Lindsay Lohan, or Justin Bieber driving recklessly, or even Cory Monteith, who kept a low profile even while acting on hit show Glee.

Actors and musicians aren’t held to the same standards as politicians or company CEOs. Public knowledge of drug usage isn’t career-ending; in fact, more than a few celebrities have come back from bouts of rehab to perform the best roles of their lives (Robert Downey Jr. is one example). For others, substance abuse isn’t only expected of stars, it’s encouraged – by their entourage, or by close groups of peers looking to keep their celebrity friend happy, entertained and relaxed.

Hitting his stride

Had it been another Amy Winehouse, or Kurt Cobain, the public would have wept but perhaps believed, in hindsight, they’d known it would happen all along. But Hoffman wasn’t a part of the young Hollywood party crowd, as stars like River Phoenix were. He wasn’t even near it. He wasn’t on an obvious downward spiral, as Anna Nicole Smith had been. If anything, he was only just hitting his full stride as an actor.

Hoffman’s death has also caused a more awareness of addiction’s enduring lure, even after apparent recovery. In the public’s eye, he had defeated the disease. He had children, a legendary acting career, and was more than 20 years clean from drugs until a relapse back in 2012.

The actor’s death stands as evidence that addiction cannot, no matter how much time spent healing, be fully cured. Which is perhaps why, this time, the few onlookers who attempted to call Hoffman’s death selfish, and anything but tragic, were quickly shot down. It seems that the rest of the world is seeing heroin, and drug addiction, for the stark reality it is: a disease that transcends age, success, income and any other line one can draw. So, instead of expressing frustration with the “Hollywood culture,” most have chosen to remember the actor for his great work, while expressing regret for his other projects that will never come to fruition. 

The challenge of acting

For many, it was his 2005 performance as Truman Capote in Capote, one of his rare leading film roles, that made him a household name. Hoffman won the Academy Award for Best Actor, due to his phenomenal portrayal of Truman Capote’s mannerisms, down to the famed author’s high-pitched, nasal voice. One of the film’s most memorable scenes is Hoffman’s (as Capote) tearful goodbye to convicted murderer Perry Smith, before Perry is executed by the state. “I did everything I could,” says Capote, mournfully.

In his own life, he most certainly did. Hoffman was not only known as a film star, he was also a vigorous stage actor and member of the Labyrinth Theater Company. His recent 2012 performance as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman was praised by critics, who applauded Hoffman’s uncanny ability to capture the doomed salesman’s soul-crushing sadness. But ultimately, it’s possible that his speciality of difficult, unappealing characters might have reflected Hoffman’s own inner turmoil, and a place to redirect his troubles in lieu of heroin. 

Acting took its toll on him. As he told the New York Times in 2008, “acting is tortuous, and it’s torturous because you know it’s a beautiful thing. I was young once, and I said, ‘That’s beautiful and I want that.’ Wanting it is easy, but trying to be great – well, that’s absolutely torturous.” Perhaps, in the end, like many other stars, Hoffman used acting as a tool to battle his demons, to which he eventually conceded. –  Rappler.com

 

 

Brandon Engel is a blogger based in the United States. He writes about everything from the entertainment industry to energy legislation. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonEngel2