Overview

• Cooper Hoffman told GQ he wishes he could seek acting advice from his late father, Philip Seymour Hoffman, whom he called his favorite actor.
• He said he would be terrified for his father to watch and judge his work, even as he believes his dad would respond with empathy.
• He recalled trying to avoid acting after his father’s 2014 death before Paul Thomas Anderson persuaded him to audition for Licorice Pizza, which became his 2021 debut.
• He acknowledged apprehension about taking a role in The Long Walk because of its echoes of losing a father, saying he chooses to channel visible trauma through his performances.
• He is building screen and stage credits, with The Long Walk set for a Sept. 12 release and a planned turn as OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman in an upcoming Sam Altman biopic.