Cooper Hoffman Wishes He Could Talk to His Late Dad Philip Seymour Hoffman About Career Advice: 'He's My Favorite Actor'

Cooper Hoffman is missing his dada not only arsenic a parent, but arsenic an artist.

In an question and reply pinch GQ pegged to his caller Stephen King movie The Long Walk, nan 22-year-old character reflected connected his feelings complete not being capable to link pinch nan precocious Philip Seymour Hoffman.

“He’s my favourite actor, but he’s besides my dad,” said Cooper. “He’s besides not here."

And while "a batch of group idolize their parents because they’re awesome parents," nan Licorice Pizza prima said, "It’s a different point to idolize your genitor because you emotion their art."

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"So arsenic overmuch arsenic I would emotion him to beryllium present and talk to him astir acting, I besides would beryllium terrified to person him spot my worldly and judge my stuff," Cooper added.

But, he insisted, "Not that he would judge it, because he was a very empathetic person, and he would astir apt — hopefully — clasp my manus done each of it.”

One infinitesimal Cooper would person loved Philip's thoughts connected particularly was earlier this year, arsenic he made his shape debut successful an Off-Broadway revival of Curse of nan Starving Class by Sam Shepard.

“The only personification I really wanted to talk to was my dad,” he said of that clip period.

In position of his profession going forward, though, “I get to fig this retired connected my own,” Cooper told GQ. “But also, I would emotion his advice. And I would besides conscionable emotion my dad.”

In nan upcoming feature-film adjustment of King's 1979 novel The Long Walk, Cooper portrays Ray Garraty, who enters a deadly contest that forces participants to support up a minimum stepping gait without stopping until only 1 remains.

Asked by GQ if he was apprehensive astir taking connected nan domiciled of a teen who's grieving nan decease of his begetter arsenic he embarks connected nan deadly walk, Cooper replied, "Oh my God, really tin you not? How tin you not spot successful bold letters, 'HIS DAD DIED'? It’s conscionable going to beryllium there."

And for Cooper — whose begetter died astatine property 46 successful 2014, erstwhile his boy was only 10 years aged — nan screenplay resonated pinch him successful a visceral way.

“When you acquisition decease astatine a young age, you deliberation that you’ve knowledgeable everything successful life,” he says. “And past you haven’t.”

The Long Walk is successful theaters Sept. 12.