PASADENA, Calif. - It took a while for Jeff Bridges to accept that his role as The Dude in The Big Lebowski will follow him forever.
"I had a really interesting moment when I went to a Lebowski Fest," said Bridges, who visited the Television Critics Association tour over the weekend to promote the documentary Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides. It premieres Wednesday, Jan. 12 on most PBS affiliates as part of the American Masters series.
"You know what a Lebowski Fest is?" Bridges continued. "They have them all over the world now, I think. They're two-day affairs (celebrating the 1998 movie). A lot of bowling, a lot of drinking of white Russians, hundreds of dudes all dressed up like The Dude, and a lot of Maudes.
"I had my Beatles moment where I got a band together and played the Lebowski Fest. When the (announcer) said, 'And now, The Dude!', people were absolutely crazy. I played to a sea of Dudes."
You don't necessarily have to be a Dude or a Maude to enjoy Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides, the title of which is lifted from one of his lines in The Big Lebowski.
The Dude Abides is a fascinating look at Bridges, who comes from a famous Hollywood family (his dad was Lloyd Bridges and his brother is Beau Bridges), has appeared in more than 60 movies and last year won his first Academy Award.
"During my early years, I thought I might be a musician," Bridges said. "Like most kids, I didn't do what my parents wanted me to do, and they were gung-ho that all their kids become actors, because they loved showbiz so much.
"I gotta cop to it. I am a product of nepotism, basically. I don't think I would be an actor if my father wasn't, and he didn't say, 'My son's going to do this part.' In Sea Hunt, or any TV shows or anything he was in, my dad always tried to get his family involved in some way."
Because of that, Bridges understands his path to fame, not to mention critical acclaim through multiple decades, is not open to everyone.
"How many actors can afford resisting work?" he said.
Speaking of resisting, for many years Bridges resisted attaching his acting persona to a single character, no matter how compelling, out of fear of being type-cast. He said his father had been type-cast for Sea Hunt, and the son saw how frustrating that was for the dad.
But now, with so many roles under his belt to prove and secure his versatility, Jeff Bridges has surrendered to the power of The Dude.
"I'm not as worried as I once was about that, and I love The Big Lebowski," Bridges admitted. "I'm partial, I'm in it, but even if I wasn't, it still would be one of my favourite movies."
Bridges didn't pick the title for Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides.
"But I have a band that I put together, our first gig is on this documentary, and they're called The Abiders," Bridges revealed. "So I guess I'm as guilty as the next guy."
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