When it comes to nepo babies, the audience can be extra critical. But once in a while, there comes one whose success feels personal, and you can’t help but root for them because of who their parents are. And right now, there’a a tidal wave of this mushy emotion rising for Cooper Hoffman, son of late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Philip Seymour Hoffman was a revered character actor and Academy Award winner known for his nuanced performances in films like The Big Lebowski, Moneyball, Almost Famous, Punch Drunk Love, Synecdoche, New York, The Master, Mission Impossible 3, Doubt, The Hunger Games, and more. He struggled with drug addiction for years, and passed away in February 2014 of combined drug intoxication.
Cinephiles love waxing eloquent about Hoffman, who is easily one of the G.O.A.T.s of our time. You’ll find us evoking his name when we come across complex characters that Hoffman would’ve been perfect for. Or just randomly missing him because he just made everything he was in better. What’s more, he’s one of those movie legends whose craft absolutely deserves every bit of praise lavished upon him. I remember watching the new Twisters, earlier in the year, and even though the film was near perfect, I missed the infectious energy that Philip Seymour Hoffman infused in the 1996 Twister!
To carry the weight of that legacy when building your own career as an actor sounds like a tough gig. But Philip’s son Cooper Hoffman has been making his own mark in the movies. He made his breakout acting debut in his father’s longtime collaborator, Paul Thomas Anderson’s critically acclaimed coming-of-age film, Licorice Pizza, opposite Alana Haim. And most recently, Hoffman played TV producer Dick Ebersol in Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, about the 1975 premiere of NBC’s iconic late-night sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live.
Of course, comparisons to his father are inevitable. But the clip of a scene from Saturday Night featuring Cooper as Ebersol has suddenly gone viral, with fans of Philip Seymour Hoffman unable to look past the uncanny resemblance that Cooper bears to his father and his mannerisms in this scene. And it’s making them emotional!
The clip has been doing the rounds on X, with one user juxtaposing a shot of Cooper next to one of his father’s and writing, “There’s no denying he is his father’s son!” And frankly, you can see it too—both Philip and Cooper raising their fingers to make a point at someone look uncannily similar.
One can really hope these tweets find their way to Cooper Hoffman because being told that they’re living up to the legacy of one of the greatest actors who is also your father is high praise indeed!
As another user pointed out, “Phil would be so proud!”
What’s truly incredible is that as much hate as nepo babies get in the film industry, for Cooper Hoffman, there’s only love and praise, as if its a personal victory for fans to watch him do well.
While this wave of love for Cooper Hoffman on account of his father is a beautiful moment of support and love from fans, there were those who didn’t forget the flip side of such well-meaning comparisons. It is usually difficult for star kids to step out of their famous parents’ shadow and build an identity of their own. And with Cooper Hoffman only just beginning his career, it becomes necessary to also see him as his own actor minus the pressures of constantly juxtaposing his work with his father’s body of work and viewing it in the context of that alone.
But one thing is for sure, we are ready to see what Cooper Hoffman has to offer us and we’re glad he’s walking in his father’s footsteps to pursue acting as a career!
Published: Nov 19, 2024 05:14 am