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topicnews · October 26, 2024

This actor opens up about battling life-threatening illnesses while filming ‘The Old Man’

This actor opens up about battling life-threatening illnesses while filming ‘The Old Man’

Jeff Bridges fearlessly played a former CIA agent struggling with life-threatening health problems in The Old Man.

Now he talks about finding the courage to do it.

In an exclusive interview with People, the 74-year-old actor opened up about the series’ Season 2 finale, which aired on October 24, and recalled how he overcame the serious health obstacle during production.

Months after filming intense fight scenes for Season 1 of ‘The Old Man’ and after the show was put on hold due to COVID pandemic restrictions, the actor battled non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of blood cancer.

During a visit to the doctor, he was informed that a large stomach tumor had been found.

“My God, when I think back on it, I really cringed because I didn’t know it at the time, but I had a 9 x 12 inch tumor in my stomach – 9 x 12 inches! – while getting slapped around and punched in the stomach and stuff,” he recalls. “Didn’t hurt. There was no pain. But then I had this long break [from filming].”

During the break he then underwent chemotherapy and contracted Covid, which put his health at further risk. The actor admitted it was a difficult time as he pondered whether he would survive, let alone whether he would be able to film a second season of The Old Man.

“While I was sick, I thought not only would I not return to The Old Man, I thought I might just quit. That’s what mattered,” he explained.

“I remember a doctor saying, ‘You have to fight, Jeff.’ “They don’t fight,” Bridges adds. “And I had no idea what he was talking about. I was in surrender mode, just, “Everyone dies.” “I might do this.” And from that surrender, like I said, all this intense love came out, and maybe that’s what outlived me, I know it doesn’t. But I have nothing to do with fighting, more with surrender.”

The star combined his treatments with intensive physical therapy, which helped Bridges regain his fighting shape. Both Bridges and his physical therapist worked to set the goal of being healthy enough to walk his 39-year-old daughter Hayley down the aisle for her wedding.

“I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I said, ‘Well, let’s train.’ “Let’s set that as our goal,” he recalls. “So we worked on it. And it turned out that not only did I walk her down the aisle, but I also got to perform the wedding dance with her. Then I rushed to my table and put on my oxygen!”

As the second season of The Old Man approached, the good news was that Bridge’s tumor had shrunk to the size of a marble. Today, with the season finale behind him, his oncologist told the actor that he had made incredible strides that resulted in remarkable progress.

“I don’t know the exact size. I’m getting MRIs and stuff, but my oncologist says, ‘You look good, man.’ And I’m getting all my blood tests and everything, everything’s going really well,” he said.

But Bridges also talked about how his “fascinating” health journey came with some exciting lessons.

“All your life strategies, the way you work – all of that is exacerbated,” he continued. “And love, that’s the word that comes to mind. To see how much I love my family and my friends and the nurses and doctors who took care of me and how much love is coming my way. So it basically just exacerbated the love.”