Globes Fave Hoffman Calls Acting 'Torturous'

Nominee and veteran character actors talks shop
By Rebecca Smith Hurd,  Newser User
Posted Jan 11, 2009 5:25 PM CST
Globes Fave Hoffman Calls Acting 'Torturous'
Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman attends a premiere for 'Doubt' at the Paris Theatre on Dec. 7, 2008 in New York.   (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

A virtual shoe-in for a Golden Globes award tonight, Philip Seymour Hoffman insists that his supporting role in Doubt came "at a price"—as have most of his other parts as a veteran character actor. “For me, acting is torturous, because you know it’s a beautiful thing,” Hoffman tells the Guardian. “Wanting it is easy, but trying to be great—well, that’s torturous.”

Hoffman says he still questions his ability after acting in 40 films. “You'll have nights where you wake up at two in the morning and think: I’m awful in this,” he says. Citing his range and dedication, colleagues describe Hoffman as self-protective, burdened, curious. Doubt writer/director John Patrick Shanley recalls him being "in hell" during the shoot: "Phil just shrugs and sort of jokes: 'Hell? That's where I live.'"
(More Philip Seymour Hoffman stories.)

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