By now, you’ve likely heard the news that ‘The Big Lebowski’ himself, actor David Huddleston, died Tuesday at the age of 85. Huddleston appeared in a great many movies but it’s not a stretch to assume that the role for which he was best known was as the blustery, not-quite-a-millionaire who wasn’t afraid to note that strong men also cry.
Jeff Bridges, Huddleston’s namesake in the 1998 Coen Brothers classic, released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday in order to remember his friend Huddleston, calling him “a wonderful actor”:
“I had the pleasure of working with him twice, in Bad Company and in The Big Lebowski. The Big Lebowski is dead — long live the Big Lebowski. David approached his work with a joy that turned the work into fun. It was wonderful playin’ with you David.”
Bridges, who is in every scene in The Big Lebowski, got to play several of them with Huddleston, with their first meeting perhaps the most famous. “I’m the dude, man.”
But take a good look at a later scene in which The Big Lebowski explains to The Dude exactly what it is that makes a man. It’s here that we learn he’s indeed not afraid to cry and that what he’s been through is a bummer, man. That’s a bummer. The scene, however, is not.
Rest easy, Mr. Lebowski.
(via THR)
