8H AS HOST WITH MUSICAL GUEST
PAUL SIMON.
>>> WHEN PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME
THIS WEEK WHO OUR SUNDAY SITDOWN
GUEST IS AND I TELL THEM JEFF
BRIDGES, THEY'VE ALMOST ALL
SMILED AND SAID, THE DUDE!
THAT CHARACTER HAS BECOME A FOLK
HERO SINCE THE BIG LEBOWSKI WAS
RELEASED 20 YEARS AGO.
THE LAID BACK VIBE SEEMS TO FIT
SO WELL WITH THE MAN WHO PLAYS
HIM.
BRIDGES WAS BORN INTO A
HOLLYWOOD FAMILY AND OVER A 60
YEAR CAREER AND DUDE LIKE ZEN
HAVE MADE HIM A FAVORITE WITH
AUDIENCES AND THE ACTORS HE
WORKS WITH.
JEFF AND I GOT TOGETHER TO TALK
ABOUT HIS LATEST MOVIE AND THE
LEGEND OF THE DUDE.
>> OH!
>> HERE WE GO.
>> OH.
>> JEFF BRIDGES STILL HAS THE
TOUCH.
20 YEARS AFTER THE DUDE BECAME A
LEGEND WHILE HAPPENING AROUND A
BOWLING ALLEY AND DRINKING WHITE
RUSSIANS.
>> I'M THE DUDE SO THAT'S WHAT
YOU CALL ME.
>> PEOPLE WHO KNOW YOU HAVE SAID
PREVIOUSLY THAT THERE IS A
LITTLE BIT OF JEFF IN THE DUDE.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, SMOKING REFER
AND THAT KIND OF STUFF.
>> DO YOU MIND IF I DO IT TODAY?
>> 50% OF THE CLOTHES IN DUDE
WEAR CAME OUT OF MY CLOSET.
>> IS THAT TRUE?
>> THE SWEATER.
>> NO, THE JELLIES, THE SHOES
ARE MINE, COUPLE OF SHIRTS, YOU
KNOW, STUFF LIKE THAT.
>> DESPITE OUTWARD APPEARANCES
THOUGH, BRIDGES DOESN'T ALWAYS
SHARE THE DUDE'S LEVEL OF CHILL.
>> I'M BASICALLY A NERVOUS GUY.
I'M KIND OF NERVOUS NOW.
I'M NERVOUS.
>> NO.
>> OH, YEAH?
>> ARE YOU A LITTLE NERVOUS?
ARE YOU PERFECTLY CALM NOW?
>> YOU MAKE ME CALM BECAUSE YOU
HAVE THE ZEN.
>> I'M AN ACTOR.
I'M AN ACADEMY AWARD WINNING
ACTOR I CAN DO THAT.
BUT I'M NERVOUS.
>> IT'S ALL AN ACT.
>> THE 68-YEAR-OLD BRIDGES HAS
BEEN HONING THAT ACT ON SCREENS
BIG AND SMALL SINCE HE WAS A
BOY.
HE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN LOS
ANGELES AS THE MIDDLE OF THREE
CHILDREN WITH FAMOUS PARENTS.
THE ACTORS DOROTHY AND LLOYD
BRIDGES.
>> WAS THERE EVER A CHANCE,
JEFF, THAT YOU WERE NOT GOING TO
BE IN SHOW BUSINESS?
>> WELL, IT WAS UP TO MY DAD,
NO, AND I THINK IT WAS UP TO MY
DAD BECAUSE HE JUST KEPT EDGING
ME THAT WAY, YOU KNOW?
>> LLOYD GAVE HIS GRADE SCHOOL
SON HIS FIRST BIG ACTING SERIES
ON THE SERIES SEA HUNT.
>> THERE'S STILL SOME THERE.
>> WHERE?
>> I REMEMBER HIM COMING UP TO
ME AND SAYING, HEY, YOU WANT TO
COME PLAY WITH DAD?
GET OUT OF SCHOOL?
HE LURED ME IN AND, YOU KNOW, I
GOT BIT BY IT.
I'M KIND OF HOOKED, YOU KNOW?
>> LONG BEFORE THEY CO-STARRED
IN THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS, JEFF
AND BIG BROTHER BEAU PERFORMED
TOGETHER ANY WAY THEY COULD.
>> BEAU HAD THIS BRILLIANT IDEA.
HE DECIDED TO RENT A FLATBED
TRUCK AND WE WOULD PULL INTO A
SUPERMARKET.
OUR DAD TAUGHT US HOW TO STAGE A
FIGHT.
PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS REAL.
THEN WE WOULD TRY TO INCORPORATE
THE COPS INTO SOME SORT OF
IMPROV.
WE SAID, NO, WE'RE OUT OF HERE,
OFFICER.
WE JUMPED INTO OUR TRUCK AND
WENT TO THE NEXT SUPERMARKET.
>> IT WAS A TRAVELING SHOW?
>> WE PLAYED THE SUPERMARKET
CIRCUIT.
>> THE SUPERMARKET CIRCUIT
QUICKLY TURNED INTO AN AWARDS
CIRCUIT.
AT 22 HE WON THE FIRST OF SEVEN
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS FOR
HIS ROLE IN THE LAST PICTURE
SHOW.
>> SHE IS.
DON'T YOU TELL ME SHE WON'T.
>> YOU REMEMBER GETTING THAT
CALL ABOUT 3:00, 4:00 IN THE
MORNING, YOU'VE BEEN NOMINATED
FOR AN ACADEMY -- WHAT?
IT WAS OUT OF THE BLUE, RIGHT?
I WAS JUST BLOWN AWAY.
>> IN 1975 BRIDGES STARRED IN
THE WESTERN "RANCHO DELUXE."
IT WASN'T BE A BIG COMMERCIAL
HIT, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE
MOST IMPORTANT MOVIE HE'S EVER
MADE.
>> THAT'S THE ONE I MET MY SWEET
WIFE, SUE, ON.
>> SO PAINT THE PICTURE FOR ME.
YOU'RE SITTING IN A HOT TUB
SOMEWHERE IN MONTANA.
>> I'M DOING A SCENE WITH SAM
AND HARRY DEAN STANTON AND I
CANNOT TAKE MY EYES OFF THIS
GORGEOUS -- I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT
SHE WAS, A MADE, A WAITRESS.
I COULDN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF HER.
GORGEOUS GIRL, TWO BLACK EYES
AND A BROKEN NOSE.
THAT JUXTAPOSITION OF
DISFIGUREMENT WITH BEAUTY AND
YOU HAD ME.
I FINALLY GOT MY COURAGE TO ASK
HER OUT AND SHE SAID NO.
I SAID, REALLY?
SHE SAYS, NO.
SMALL TOWN, MAYBE I'LL SEE HER
AROUND.
SHE CAME TO THE WRAP PARTY AND
WE DANCED AND FELL IN LOVE.
BOOM, THAT WAS IT.
I HAVE A PHOTOGRAPH OF THAT
MOMENT.
>> WHEN YOU MET?
>> WHEN WE MET AND MY WIFE
SAYING NO AND SOMEBODY JUST TOOK
A PICTURE OF THAT.
I HAVE THAT.
>> AFTER HIS BREAKOUT IN THE
'70s, BRIDGES PLAYED A WIDE
RANGE OF ROLES.
HE WAS A FUTURISTIC COMPUTER
PROGRAMMER IN "TRON."
AN AISLELY AN IN "STAR MAN."
A SADISTIC KIDNAPPER IN "THE
VANISHING."
ANON.
>> THAT WAS WONDERFUL.
I WISH MY FOLKS WOULD HAVE BEEN
THERE, BUT I FELT THEM IN THE
ROOM.
>> BRIDGES IS SELECTIVE IN THE
ROLES HE TAKES.
HIS LATEST IS FATHER FLYNN IN
THE NOIR FILM "BAD TIMES AT THE
EL ROYALE."
>> I DO MY BEST NOT TO WORK,
OKAY?
THAT'S MY M.O.
BUT WHEN YOU GET A SCRIPT LIKE
THIS, YOU'RE ON BOARD, YOU KNOW?
>> HOW DID YOU END UP AT THE
ELROYALE?
>> THE RITZ CARLTON WAS BOOKED.
>> WHO IS YOUR FATHER FIGURE?
>> HE'S A PRIEST WHO IS NOT A
PRIEST.
IN THIS MOVIE THERE ARE SO MANY
SURPRISES NOBODY IS WHAT THEY
SEEM.
>> I'M NOT REALLY A PRIEST.
>> WHEN I FIRST GOT THE SCRIPT I
READ THAT THING.
ABOUT PAGE 15 I WAS SAYING, WOW,
WHAT IS GOING ON, MAN?
I WOULD GO BACK A COUPLE OF
PAGES AND SAY, YEAH, GENTLEMAN,
ALL THE WAY TO THE END GIVING ME
SURPRISES.
THOSE ARE THE MOVIES I LIKE WHEN
THE FILMMAKER IS A A LITTLE BIT
AHEAD OF YOU.
>> AFTER A LIFETIME IN HOLLYWOOD
AND 90 ROLES UNDER HIS BELT,
BRIDGES KNOWS THERE IS ONE THAT
WILL BE WITH HIM.
>> IF YOU WERE TO DEFINE YOUR
CAREER BY THE DUDE, WOULD YOU BE
GOOD WITH THAT?
>> OH, SURE.
WHAT A WONDERFUL MOVIE.
>> IF YOU HAD TO BE DEFINED BY
SOMEBODY, THE DUDE IS A PRETTY
GOOD ONE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> JEFF'S NEW MOVIE "BAD TIMES
AT THE EL