Actor & Cancer Survivor Jeff Bridges, 74, Who is Set to Star in New Film, Honors Movies He’s Starred in That ‘Transcend’ Expectations

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“One of the things that I find so exciting about life is that you’re constantly surprised,” Bridges told the news outlet, as per Far Out magazine.

“You never know what’s going to happen, and it’s certainly like that making movies; every once in a while one will come along that transcends all of your expectations.”

Recounting the movies that Bridges describes as “certainly like that [transcending],” the actor named the 2009 Romance/Drama “Crazy Heart,” directed by Scott Cooper, and the 1998 Comedy/Crime “The Big Lebowski,” directed by brothers Ethan Coen and Joel Coen.

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He also named the 1989 Romance/Musical “The Fabulous Baker Boys” and “The Last Picture Show,” a 1971 Drama/Melodrama directed by Peter Bogdanovich, as the other two movies he is proud of.

Bridges continued, “There’s a bunch of them. I look back at my filmography and I’m pretty jazzed with the stuff I’ve been part of. They’re all movies I’d like to see.”

It appears Bridges may be adding more movies to that list of favorites as he’ll soon be starring in a new movie directed by Terry Gilliam, and titled “The Carnival at the End of Days” alongside Johnny Depp, Adam Driver, and Jason Momoa, according to Consequence Film.

Gilliam reportedly confirmed the news of a movie with Premiere, a French publication.

Gilliam said, noting that Depp and Bridges will be playing Satan and God, “God decides to destroy humanity, and the only one trying to save us is Satan because he needs people in hell, otherwise he won’t have a job for eternity.”

The director said the film will be “funny for those who like to be offended.”

Jeff Bridges’ Cancer Battle

Jeff Bridges was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2020 and started chemotherapy treatment right away. Although Bridges hasn’t personally specified which type of lymphoma he was diagnosed with, AARP noted that his cancer was, in fact, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, cancer of a type of white blood cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the immune system.

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While cancer treatment was going well, he was also diagnosed with COVID-19 in January 2021, and due to his cancer treatment having weakened his immune system, Bridges wound up spending months in the hospital.

According to AARP, Bridges’ cancer went into remission quickly after he was put through chemotherapy infusion, which was followed by an oral chemo protocol.

He dubbed his wife his “absolute champion” as she stayed by Bridges’ side as he recovered from covid in the hospital. “She really fought to keep me off a ventilator. I didn’t want to be on it, and the doctors didn’t necessarily want that. But Sue was adamant,” he told the news outlet.

He was ultimately treated with a blood plasma called “convalescent plasma,” which consists of viral antibodies.

Despite his struggle, like so many cancer survivors, Bridges was left with a renewed appreciation for life after the experience.

“I’ll be honest. I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” he told Esquire in an earlier interview. “I was on death’s door there for a while in the hospital. When I finally went back to work, after a two-year hiatus, it was the most bizarre kind of thing. It felt like a dream.”

“I came back after all that time, and saw the same faces [while shooting ‘The Old Man’], the same cast and crew,” he added. “It was like we had a long weekend. I gathered everyone and I said, ‘I had the most bizarre dream, you guys.’ I was sick and out, but all that feels like a gray mush now.”

Understanding Lymphoma

Jeff Bridges reportedly battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma, one of the two most common types of lymphoma.

Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. And there are more than 40 different types of lymphoma.

Sneaky Lymphoma Symptoms Often Lead to a Late Diagnosis

“Lymphoma is split up into a number of different categories,” Dr. Elise Chong, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet.

“The first distinguishing breakpoint, if you will, is non-Hodgkin lymphoma versus Hodgkin lymphoma,” she added, “and those sound like two different categories. But non-Hodgkin lymphoma comprises the majority of lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma is a single specific type of lymphoma.”

Hodgkin lymphoma has distinctive, giant cells called Reed-Sternberg cells. The presence of these cells, which can be seen under a microscope, will help your doctor determine which of the two lymphoma types you have.

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There are a few other important differences between non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma to note. For one thing, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common. And you’re more likely to be diagnosed with it after age 55, like Bridges. People usually develop Hodgkin lymphoma at a younger age.

Age, Race, and Exposures Might All Factor Into Lymphoma Risk

Another difference between these two types of lymphoma is that non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to spread in a random fashion and be found in different groups of lymph nodes in the body, while Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to grow in a uniform way from one group of lymph nodes directly to another.

These two different types of lymphoma behave, spread and respond to treatment differently.

Tips For Starting Over After Cancer

We admire Bridges for continuing to work and live his life fully after battling cancer. Starting over after a life-changing event, like battling a disease, is certainly arduous, but it can be done.

Here are simple tips for how to do it:

• Examine your thoughts. Take time to reflect on the tragedy or difficulty you are facing. Dr. Scott Irwin tells SurvivorNet that, often, people with cancer and chronic disease are “grieving the change in their life, the future they had imagined is now different.”
• Seek help. Irwin, who directs Supportive Care Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, adds that talk therapy can help people significantly:  “It’s about meeting the individual patient where they are and their feelings, how they’ve always dealt with their body image, what the body image changes mean now in their lives and their relationships, and how they can move forward given the new reality.
• Realize that you are not the first. Study the lives of other people who have faced similar difficulties. Psychiatrist Dr. Samantha Boardman previously told SurvivorNet, “Having support we know is really critical in the healing process.” There is benefit in “talking to those who’ve, you know, been through this process, who are maybe a couple of steps ahead of you, who can tell you what it’s like to walk in their shoes and the unbelievable wisdom that one can gain from speaking to them,” she said.
• Visualize the future. Imagine what it will look like for you to start over.  Many people find it very helpful to create a vision board. Cut out pictures or quotes or mementos that give you a concrete picture of your future. Look to it when you are feeling down or in need of a lift.

Dr. Dana Chase Encourages Those Facing Cancer to Find Moments of Joy During Treatment

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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