Philip Seymour Hoffman's Best Work Died With Him

Jason Lynch writes that we'll never see what could have been
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 3, 2014 7:30 AM CST
Updated Feb 3, 2014 7:55 AM CST
Philip Seymour Hoffman's Best Work Died With Him
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote.   (AP Photo/Sony Pictures Classics, Attila Dory, File)

In the wake of Philip Seymour Hoffman's death, site after site has been rounding up clips of his best work. Unfortunately, his greatest performance is one you'll likely never see, Jason Lynch writes for Quartz. Lynch, the former TV editor for People, was one of the lucky reporters who got a sneak peak of Happyish last month. That's the Showtime series that was to show Hoffman as a somewhat miserable NYC creative director with a much-younger ad-agency boss. "The footage promised yet another classic Hoffman performance," writes Lynch, "with a profane rant against social media and an uproarious hallucination involving a Keebler Elf." Having seen just a glimpse, Lynch pegged the performance —"arguably his finest work yet"—as one sure to bring Hoffman Emmys and Golden Globes.

But he predicts that it's an artistic turn that will die with Hoffman. Only one of the 10 episodes were shot, leaving Showtime two options: Air just the pilot, or move on. And in terms of moving on, Lynch sees it as somewhat unlikely that Showtime would find a replacement for Hoffman, especially after a Showtime exec previously admitted that it waited patiently for a long time to get Hoffman to sign on. Lynch notes that Hoffman will likely close out the last two Hunger Games films as head gamesmaker Plutarch Heavensbee, however. He had done all the shooting for Mockingjay Part 1 and all but seven days for Part 2. Sources tell the Hollywood Reporter the November 2014 and 2015 release dates won't be altered. (More Philip Seymour Hoffman stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X