Justin Long will be “forever grateful” for the opportunity to meet Philip Seymour Hoffman early in his career.
On Thursday, Long paid tribute to Hoffman in an emotional Instagram post, timed on the ninth anniversary of the “Capote” actor’s death. In it, he shared a photo of himself and Sam Rockwell, his 1999 “Galaxy Quest” co-star, posing with Hoffman, who had stopped by the set for a visit.
“Knowing that I’m a huge fan, Sam wanted to introduce us and I’ll be forever grateful for that,” Long wrote. “When I was the young aspiring actor you see in this photo, Phil was an acting god to me – my Meryl Streep or Marlon Brando. It still is.”
He described Hoffman’s laugh as “full and bold and lacking even a hint of self-awareness” and also noted the late actor’s continuing influence on his work as an actor.
“Whenever I’m stuck in a scene, I often find myself thinking, ‘What would Phil do?’ — always motivates me really,” she explained. “He laughed as he did. I miss them both today.”
Hoffman died on February 2, 2014, at the age of 46. A coroner’s report later determined his death was an accidental drug overdose.
With credits that include “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “The Big Lebowski” and three “The Hunger Games” films, Hoffman is often cited as one of the most accomplished actors of his generation.
He received an Academy Award in 2006 for his portrayal of Truman Capote in “Capote” and was nominated three times for a Tony Award for his performances in the Broadway revivals of “True West,” “Long Day’s Journey into Night” and “Death ‘. of a seller”.
By Friday, Long’s post had received more than 94,000 likes. Several of the actor’s famous friends, including Jason Biggs and Jeremy Renner, shared their own memories of Hoffman in the comments.
Among those paying tribute was ‘Book of Mormon’ and ‘Frozen’ actor Josh Gad, who wrote: ‘His last words to me were ‘we have to play brothers.’ Only if … ”
