Jeff Bridges has some advice for Seventh Son co-star Julianne Moore about Oscar night. They also reminisced on The Big Lebowski for us.
NewsSeeing Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore together again—in any capacity—is always a pleasure to behold. The two actors memorably played off each other in the Coen Brothers classic The Big Lebowski and have gone on to do many different projects, including those that earned each more Oscar nominations (and a win in Bridges’ case with 2009’s Crazy Heart). But when seated next to each other for the Seventh Son press conference that I attended, it’s clear that neither has missed a beat when it comes to improvising with their co-star.
While they were only too happy to discuss their new Universal and Legendary Pictures’ film in which Moore plays a wicked witch with evil aspirations, and Bridges her ex-lover and current witch-hunting pursuer, of course Moore’s frontrunner status in this month’s Academy Awards Best Actress race came up. And Bridges had some advice for his former Dude-flame and current Seventh Son foe:
“We talked about it,” Bridges said. “You know, we acknowledged that feeling of all those emotions, having that appreciation come at you like that is pretty wonderful—and all that anxiety and the obsessions that you have about beating yourself up for not remembering that guy’s name. It’s hard to describe; it’s just a flood of all different kinds of emotions. We just talked about it [but] not too much advice, really: ‘Hang on, babe! Go with the ride and surf that big wave!’”
For her part, Moore appreciated the sentiment, and also still seemed genuinely astonished that such a little movie like Still Alice has had such a universally acclaimed reception—and for good reason if you read our Top 10 Films of 2014 list.
“It’s been such a wonderful surprise, and so exciting for us,” Moore said. “This was a movie we didn’t even finish a year ago; we started it in March of 2014, so by the time the Oscars are over, it won’t have even been a year since we shot it. So, that’s what’s so astonishing about this. We made it, we got it out, we got it distributed, and then that it’s gotten this kind of attention is absolutely incredible. Half the time, you make little movies and no one ever sees them. So, I’m very, very grateful and just trying to take it one day at a time.”
And on this particular day, it was about considering the odd journey as a co-star she has had with Bridges from playing off the Dude to playing with a CGI witch’s tail, capable of slicing and dicing enemies and ex-flames alike.
Bridges had a unique summation about their two films together, “Not many people know this, but I think we’ll just let this out of the bag, but [Seventh Son] is actually a prequel to The Big Lebowski.”
Bridges went on to say that whether it is in this action spectacle, a Coen Brothers dark comedy, or on a press conference stage in SoHo, he always enjoys riffing off Moore. For her part, she continued the energy.
“It’s been 17 years, and I have a little Lebowski to prove it,” Moore exclaimed with a laugh. “I actually got pregnant—it’s not Jeff’s!—on The Big Lebowski. My son is 17-years-old, so that’s how we know, it’s been 17 years.” Moore also continued to muse if this is a sort of swords and sorcery prequel. “I was saying I think that we don’t really just drag our relationship along as people and as actors, but I think the audience does too. So, there’s that sense of ‘oh, I know those guys! They’ve been in a movie before.’ So, it’s really a cool thing.”
You can see the Dude and Maude find a spiritual renewal (of sorts), CGI tails, anthropomorphic witches, and all, when Seventh Son opens in theaters on Friday, February 6. And obviously, you will see Moore herself at the Oscars (and likely with one in her hand) on February 22, 2015.
