Cooper Hoffman is following in his dad's footsteps — and reflecting on what his father, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, would think of his work.
The 22-year-old, who is set to star in the upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Long Walk, told GQ that while he is “[figuring] this out” on his own, he would love his dad's advice.
The Long Walk isn't Hoffman's first role; the actor, who was raised in New York City, has a few film credits under his belt, including 2021's Licorice Pizza and 2024's Saturday Night, and has also appeared onstage. It was his role in the Sam Shepard play Curse of the Starving Class that made him wish his father, who died in 2014, was still around to share some wisdom and insight with him.
“The only person I really wanted to talk to was my dad,” Hoffman explained. “He’s my favorite actor, but he’s also my dad. He’s also not here. A lot of people idolize their parents because they’re great parents. It’s a different thing to idolize your parent because you love their art."
Hoffman shared that while he'd love to talk acting with his father, he'd also be “terrified" to have such a respected actor watch his work. Philip Seymour Hoffman's extensive filmography is a list of bonafide classics, such as The Big Lebowski, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Twister, Almost Famous, Capote, Doubt, and, of course, The Hunger Games franchise.
“Not that he would judge it, because he was a very empathetic person, and he would probably — hopefully — hold my hand through all of it,” Hoffman explained. “I get to figure this out on my own. But also, I would love his advice. And I would also just love my dad.”
Grief plays a pivotal role in The Long Walk, where Cooper plays a character named Raymond who is also dealing with the loss of his father. “When your trauma is on display for the world, there’s no actually hiding it,” he told GQ. “I’m like, ‘I might as well talk about it,’ or, ‘I might as well put it into something.’ Because if I keep hiding it and running from it, that’s not fair to anyone else who has gone through that."
Cooper wants viewers of the film who may be going through something similar to know that he gets it. “I’m here to display this person and this experience as honestly as I can, and hopefully someone else watches it and goes, ‘He sees me, he understands me,’” he continued. "And that’s, in my opinion, the only reason to do any sort of art.”
