tv CNN Newsroom CNN February 2, 2014 12:00pm-1:01pm PST
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today presumably to meet up about a current project and finding the lifeless body of philip seymour hoffman in his bathroom. police telling susan candiotti and other cnn producers and employees that heroin was also located in that apartment an a needle will found in his arm. susan candiotti joining us now. susan, what more are you learning about the investigation? his body still remains inside the apartment for one? >> as far as we know, yes. there's still a lot of work to be done here. police suspect he died of an overdose. they still have a lot of questions to answer. as you said, they did find a couple of clear bags of what is believed to be heroin inside discovered right there in the apartment. still the crime scene unit as they always do will have work to be done inside the apartment.
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for example, fingerprints, looking for any other dna evidence to remove anything from the apartment to analyze if they think it's necessary to make sure no crime was committed. they are telling us they will be processed just like any other death investigation to make sure that no crime was committed. of course, among other things, want to find out if someone else had been inside the apartment with him at the time this happened. this is all part of the normal stuff they would be looking at in a situation like this. for example, did he have any kind of security system. are there any cameras? we have no reason to believe any of this. but it's part of what they would normally do to see what happened in the hours leading up to his death. >> susan, he's the father of three. we heard our own rose arce, cnn producer, talk about how he really was so much a part of the
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community there, his kids going to public school along with rose's kids at public school, how he would walk freely in the streets, very low key. did he have any family members or anyone else present at the apartme apartment. we don't have details at this time. >> susan candiotti we'll check back with more about this investigation. outside the west village manhattan apartment, alexandra, what can you tell us about the sce scene. dozens keep arriving. this is the apartment building behind me. here in west village.
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it's called pickwick house. philip seymour hoffman found in the bathroom of the fourth floor apartment. we're told the medical examiner has arrived. she's on the scene in the apartment. the medical examiner looking into the death trying to answer questions about what led to this death including how long hoffman's body may have been there before it was found. you can see cameras. a truck with barricades, put them out in front of. tape at the enof the block. neighbors have come out here, dozens of them. many taking picks. a few looking upset to learn the news, loss of a neighbor, public and well-known face. a lot of people out here watching, waiting to see what happens.
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five or six new york police department officers guarding front door and keeping control of the crowds. some people coming out and sharing stories, even seeing philip seymour hoffman in their neighborhood. he was a recognizable face. we're told he was friendly person in the neighborhood. spoke to the owner of the restaurant. on washington street, a regular at the restaurant, often stopping in for brunch, obvious talking to the wait staff. sometimes with friends, sometimes alone but never attended by hollywood entourage, low key customer, neighborhood customer that seemed to blend in with her other customers. we have seen a few people who have come out of their doors, there's brown stones along with the apartment building hoffman was found. they came out, wiped away tears. we've seen a few people who walked into and out of that apartment building. right now they are not stopping to answer any questions. police are letting them come and
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do. a few walking dogs or getting children. none at this point commenting on mr. hoffman or what it was like to have him as a neighbor or learn of this news now. >> i wonder, alexandra, we heard susan candiotti talking at the top how news people are investigating, how they are pouring into the investigation the discovery of his body. mentioned cameras, all these things that will be inspected. are you seeing any types of apparatus? are you seeing any special police law enforcement teams making their way in and out of collection of evidence, anything of the life that represents what kind of investigation or where the investigation may be going? >> sure. we are seeing the kinds of things you would imagine seeing in a case like this, what appears to be plain clothesed detectives going into the building. that's what differentiates that.
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the job of actually controlling the crowd they are the ones working on the streets. we have seen a number of law enforcement officers going into and out of that apartment building obviously trying to answer questions susan candiotti made. allowed the medical examiner to do her work. she's the one charged with answering the key questions. i'm going to step out of the way to give you a clear scene, we've got a lot of cameras angled to the streets here. we've got what appears to be an ambulance now coming up the street. it is our understanding that philip seymour hoffman's body is still in the apartment where it was found. no estimate how long it will take the medical examiner to do her examination. she will then release the body and it can presumably be carried away. a lot of people craning to take
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pictures of the vehicle. no activity at the house. no word how long the medical examiner will be upstairs. presumably they will stay in place and collect any evidence they need for as long as they need to really. you can see again this crowd out here wanting to see something. >> alexandra, again, we understand according to sources the discovery of the body was made roughly around 11:15 eastern time. that doesn't necessarily mean how long he may have been dead. it's unclear how long he had been dead. that's one thing the medical examiner will try to determine as best they can. that, too, can take hours if not a day to determine. >> reporter: certainly. that's what law enforcement officials are telling us out here. is there any indication of how long he may have been in the apartment, any indication of how long he could have potentially been unaccounted for?
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demise another meetings, previous engagement. no word on that. at this point, from what they know, who they have spoken to, it will come down to medical examiner's discovery to determine how long he may have been there in that bathroom where he was found. again, as susan candiotti opponented out, he's the father of three children. we have no information about where his family may have been at the time of his death or at the time his body was discovered by a friend he and to have been collaborating with on the play, on the project. we know this was someone well respected, not just in this community in the west village but across the country for the vast body of highly acclaimed work. what's striking though, people in this neighborhood, used to seeing celebrities, west village and new york city, a place a lot of celebrities live. this isn't a guy who walked around and had that aura of
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celebrity. he was another neighbor we're told in this neighborhood, just a low key and going about sort of his daily routine with everyone else. >> alexandra i know your vantage point may be blocked because of vehicle behind you. are you able to make out that law enforcement official vehicle that did pull up, what kind of markings are on it and make kind of vehicle it might be. >> sure, i can look out of the way and take a look. it's an nypd vehicle, crime scene vehicle is all we're seeing on the side of it. crime scene. we have not seen anyone get into or out of it. nypd. pulling up to the door of the apartment, that's what would differentiate it from patrol cars further down the street. even the medical examiner's car, which is just right here next to me. obviously a large police evidence van here. >> all right. thank you so much. outside the apartment of philip
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seymour hoffman right there on bethune street in west village. thank you so much. when we come back, we'll share more from the sentiments people who knew him, admired him. we'll share that with you right after this. farmer: hello, i'm an idaho potato farmer. and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing. so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what? try align. it's the number one ge recommended probiotic that helps maintain digestive balance. ♪
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>> protested, left the state with a balanced budget and the fourth highest education rate. the republicans have no one out there who can touch this guy. for this moment, this election, this primary is the presidential. and that is the state of the union. >> that's philip seymour hoffman in the 2011 "ides of march." no matter what project he was involved in, it was memorable.
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today he is dead at the age of 46. his lifeless body inside his west village manhattan apartment earlier today in the 11:00 eastern hour. his body located in the bathroom. police saying they believe heroin was in the apartment and a needle in his arm. we've been hearing from a number of people who admired him from afar and those lucky enough to interview him or talk with him. as nischelle turner, entertainment reporter has been putting it, an actor's actor, revered on the big screen, on stage, and even smaller screen projects that were about to make their way to showtime and outlets. we have host of "reliable sources" brian stelter. we've heard from so many people but mostly acting community.
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many treated out, a great loss, rest in peace for this actor. they even talked about how influential and what a marquise made on the industry as being brilliant, intelligence. those are some of the words used to describe him. what else are you seeing? >> yes, i'll read a few of them. twitter and facebook are the main ways we hear reactions to the deaths of anyone these days, any prominent figure. here is one from omar epps, actor from er, recently from "house." rest in peace. grocery groban, no new york city, no, not psh. shorthand for him name. we needed so much more from him. p i was nothing new york city mayor bill deblass i don't taken
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to twitter, saddened by philip seymour hoffman's tragic, untimely passing. today new york mourns the loss of one of stage and screen's greats. fredricka, i was struck by something someone else said on twitter, josh marshall, always a sad telling detail when someone like philip seymour hoffman dies, how long it takes for obit to appear. unlike old person, there are none ready. they were written ahead of time for many famous people, not someone like philip seymour hoffman, someone in his 40s who seemed to be in good health. that's why it's shocking to people. >> seemed to be in demand. this was a working actor, one involved in directing and producing plays as well.
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what an incredible talent. he seems to be a rare talent in that he had tentacles that reached out to so many disciplines of acting. >> i mentioned earlier he was a playwright. i was wrong about that. i misspoke. he starred in several as an actor. in 2012, "death of a salesman" in new york. that led the contribute of the "new york times," not an easy crowd to win over to say, quote, mr. hoffman is one of the finest absenters of his generation. the critic said, "that is beyond dispute." those are words that must have been wonderful for him to read that day. can you imagine what that's like to read in the newspaper? >> no. overwhelming. >> something few people have experienced. >> i have a list of some of the project on film he was involved in. this is a tiny fraction "scent of a woman" "boogie nights,"
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supporting role for an oscar. big lebowski, "moneyball." >> i forego about "moneyball." >> he's the kind of actor, even if his role was small, he had such command of the screen, the camera, his role, his part was memorable, even if supporting, even if a blip on the screen comparatively to others who may be in that project. >> i agree. i think some people don't realize how many roles he's had because he has been able to seem so different and play so many types of characters. he had a unique look to him. there was something a little uneasy, a little disheveled. frankly, that's pretty refreshing sometimes to see from actors. it's something that's special that pops on screen. >> i saw this one tweet coming from jim carrey, which really seems to tug at the heart strings knowing what police are
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saying about the heroin possibly located in the house and that a needle was in his arm. we know publicly he's talked about his struggles with addictions. most notably last year seeing rehabilitation help because of a week's use of heroin. jim carrey tweeting, "dear philip, a dear, beautiful soul. for the most sensitive among us, the noise can be too much. bless your heart." we don't know all the details of the circumstances surrounding his death. but something as poignant as that and then learning drug use may have been involved here, an overdose may have been involved here, it really speaks to the trouble and the struggle, the battle. >> with this story, the amount of conversation online about addiction is crucial. that is ultimately the only good that can come out of a story like this is a conversation
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about addiction. for poem to seek help if they feel its necessary. help is only a google search away these days. that's something we mentioned earlier, philip seymour hoffman did seek out last year. he talked publicly and honestly about seeking help, rehab last year for his addiction. i'm heartened at least to see so many people talking about that today and acknowledging how horrible and how hard it can be. >> a reminder and we heard it underscored by hln's dr. drew pinsky, it is an every day struggle, even if some may have thought you were in a recovery, it's been many years since you touched anything. it is a day to day struggle. that most likely was the case of philip seymour hoffman. we're going to have much more coverage of the tragic death of this 46-year-old tal ended actor, very revered talent right
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philip seymour hoffman is dead at the age of 46. his body found in his west village apartment today by a friend, a writer, a playwright who visited his apartment. police are telling cnn that heroin may have been located in the apartment and needle in his arm. our susan candiotti has been working her sources there in new york. susan, what can you tell us about what is a sizable investigation around the death of this brilliant actor, philip seymour hoffman. >> reporter: as authorities try to peace together exactly what happened here and the events that led up to it, we have this additional piece of information from a law enforcement official telling our producer this, that the actor, philip seymour hoffman was last seen at about 8:00 or so last night. it's unclear exactly by whom, but we are told he was expected
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to get to see his kids -- get his kids today, be in touch with his children, his youngsters, and apparently did not show up for that meeting, that gathering. apparently it was then this playwright, we've been told about, very well-known and somebody else, that's when they went to the apartment and found him dead inside the bathroom. fred. >> we understand because alexandra field has been outside that apartment in the west village saying a few vehicles have sloan up, nypd vehicles, even the coroner has arrived. we understand the body of this actor is still inside the unit. are your sources telling you anything more about the avenue of this investigation and how much longer they will be at the apartment before the body is
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removed and before any evidence that's been collected is completed. >> it's impossible to say. any death investigation, that's what police are saying, they are treating it like any other. there are interviews to be conducted, photographs to be made, information and evidence to be picked up. in this case at present authorities don't have any other reason to believe this is something other than an accidental overdose here. nevertheless, they will be looking into picking up evidence there. for example, they found two clear bags that contained what they believe to be heroin inside the scene. naturally they wanted to take fingerprints before any dna evidence, look for anything else to assure themselves no crime was committed here. they will be processing this scene like they would any other of this kind and they will be
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looking into additional information to assure themselves no one was with them at the time of death. right? >> there's that big gap of time according onsources, he was last seen at 8:00 last night. at some point today, he was expected to be with his kids. he has three children. he didn't show. we don't know what time that is. somewhere between 8:00 p.m. and 11:15 today that soefr by the playwright was made. is that correct? >> it seems clear an alarm was sounded when he didn't show up as he was to see his two children. that it appears is what prompted family or friends to send someone to the apartment to check on him. that's when the discovery was made, finding his lifeless body really in the bathroom.
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our sources tell us with a needle in one of his arms. >> susan, this investigation taking place in this residential community, it seems as though it will not be difficult for authorities to find, recognize, et cetera. we heard the picture painted, whether from our cnn producer, rose arce or others, who said he's very much part of the fabric of the community there. he walks amongst everybody else like it's no big deal. he's never in disguise, very recognizable but also very accessible. so any idea what kind of efforts are being made by authorities to talk with people who regular see him or regularly interact with him? >> i would think that would be the normal thing they would be doing. by all accounts a likable guy in the neighborhoods everyone got along with but still respected his face and privacy at the same time.
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it would be natural for authorities, if they think it is necessary to do so, to interview more people than outside his immediate family to find out what was happening here. as we have been reporting, he did have a well acknowledged problem in the past with substance abuse and has sought help for it and was overcoming that problem and had issues in the past. so all of this information will play into what they will be doing to try to piece together what happened here. >> that struggle with addiction, one that was very public. a private matter with him but one he didn't conceal from the public. we'll talk more about that. susan candiotti, thank you so much. hln's dr. drew pen ascspensky, h
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me now. something he's been strug with since early stage of his life but falling off the wagon when in his words staying clean for 23 years. we spoke and you said you're never clean, it's a day to day struggle. for hoffman he felt like he didn't need drugs or that pull was not happening until recently when he felt like he needed to seek rehabilitation again. give us an understand, help us understand, when someone sees someone so hugely acceptable, help us understand this opiate addiction and where it leads you and what happens. >> all right. so first of all, lets again remind ourselves in no way, because philip seymour hoffman had a chronic fatal medical condition called opiate adick did not diminish glorious contributions and the fact he was a wonderful man. the falk he was a celebrity does
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not significantly impact on the course of his illness. it's an opiate addict loic any opiate addict. someone that struggles with addiction early in life, is unusual to see your 50s. unusual to see 50s. sounds like with the history, i much preferred -- speaking pout this, god only knows, but he had an addiction early in life, opiates, long periods of sobriety and relapse. that's tough to treat. in a way they know so much about recovery and take advantage of that. it's a treacherous time. if he had a chronic, severe disease struggling with. you said you believe he didn't have the pull of addiction. not accurate.
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someone with opiate addiction is there doing push-ups all the time. they have to work on it all the time. even working on it, there's the pull. often, frequently, it's a fatal condition. we have to continually remind ourselves of that. now it's taken a glorious, glorious talent from us. >> indeed. dr. drew pensinsky, a terrible connection there. a powerful point of view you bring and hugely sad the passing of this brilliant man, philip seymour hoffman, dead at the age of 46 years old. we'll be back with much more after this. we asked people a question, how much money do you think you'll need when you retire? then we gave each person a ribbon to show how many years that amount might last.
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i'm fredricka whitfield, more on the tragic death of actor 46-year-old philip seymour hoffman found in his fourth floor apartment in west village in manhattan. his body, his lifeless body found in the bathroom. according to sources, what's believed to have been heroin was also lobbied in the apartment and a needle in his arm.
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a lifelong struggle, very public about his lifelong struggle with addiction. more recently last year going to rehab after a week's use of heroin in his words he says he had fallen off the wagon and tried to get help. now investigators, nypd, trying to piece together the sequence of events. he was last heard from or someone last spoke to him at 8:00 last night according to susan candiotti. this morning it was believed he was to meet up with his children today. he was a father of three. because he didn't show up or because people were unable to contact him, then a friend, a writer and playwright went to his apartment in west village at 11:00 a.m. hour today and found his lifeless body. outside his apartment building pickwick in bethune, we find
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alexandra field. alexandra, i've read a number of things, people used to saying him in many places, they were hugging, crying, when they heard the news their neighbor passed away and particularly under such circumstances. what have you learned outside the pickwick house today? >> it was well-known he lived here. a lot of people stopped by after learning the news. you can see a crush of media. some neighbors, onlookers here and on the other side across the street. we understand philip seymour hoffman's body is still inside the fourth floor apartment when he was found, we're told, in the bathroom. the medical examiner is still inside. we saw her come out briefly. she did not answer any questions. she and to make a phone call and returned inside. the last time we saw you the crime scene unit pulled up arriving out of the west village apartment. we have seen a couple times investigators dressed in white
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forensic suits come in and out of the appear. we're prepared the investigation could take time. the medical examiner has to do their work as well. at the same time a large crowd really gathering out here. barricades put up by nypd. they are half a dozen controlmen out here just trying to control and contain the crowd. they are also checking id for residents who live inside that building, are now being asked to show idea. they are not at this point speaking about their neighbor, philip seymour hoffman. many said they did see him, a recognizable, friendly face here that blended into the community. his family expressed their devastation, asking for privacy. we did see one person who approached the doorway out there and left white roses.
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a lot of people mourning the loss of this beloved, well-known, prominent highly acclaimed actor. here in the west village, want to bringen our producer rose arce. rose lives in west village. tell us your experience. >> i live two blocks electric here. his children and my child have attended school since they were babies. it's strange to see this scene here. he never drew attention to himself. he was a regular guy. you would see him riding the bike to the local public school, hugging, kissing them. he has three elementary age children. they were very young. he was a friendly guy to his neighbors. they would hang out in local restaurants. he would be involved in community issues, very concerned
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about where it was developing. >> you wouldn't expect a list to be involved in the commune, put his children in the local school. what role did he play in the school? was he there often? did you see him participating with other parents? >> he has three children in the school. there are a lot of celebrities in the neighborhood, big hollywood actors who put their kids in private schools. rarely do you see them hanging out locally forming relationships with people next door. that wasn't him at all. he was a friendly guy, neighborhood guy, he was a father. you didn't need to know him very well to know what a terrific father he was. a lot of dads didn't have time to drop them off at school. i'm told he was in a christmas play at a community event to raise money for a charity. just this past christmas, he was involved in a movement to have zoning changed in the neighborhood. you would have thought he was
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anybody else. >> seems like the community embraced him here. we spoke to the restaurant owner. he came in, spoke to the staff members, sometimes had friends who didn't seem to have an entourage with him. >> i never saw him with an entourage of people. i see him mostly walking around the neighborhood, walking his kids to the same school my kids went to. he was with his kids. the paparazzi didn't bother him. they knew they couldn't. he was just the kind of guy, i'm with my kids going to school. people knew him well, they would come over to play with the kids, he would come over. you forget quickly he was a hollywood actor. the one time i saw him and thought, wow, you're a big deal. right after he won the oscar. i remember a couple days later walking to school people were high-fiving, way to go, way to go. still, wasn't like an unusual amount of attention even though it was such a big deal.
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it was more like another parent that we know had done something terrific and they just wanted to say you're terrific. he looked happy like these are my friends, my fellow parents. >> certainly a lot of people in this community knew him and liked him, mourning the loss. just on this block alone, neighbors outside the door, we don't know if they knew philip seymour hoffman but they have wiped tears, that face in the community, well liked here. no word on how long the investigation would take. investigators settling in to do their work. they will be up there as long as they need to be. >> all of that so beautifully humanizes this bigger than life kind of guy, this named actor who has quite the roster of movie and on stage credits which to articulate.
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everyone will remember him from the role of writer "capote" garnered him an oscar for best actor in 2005 m. the list is long, booing night, also nominated oscar for that low "the big lebowski," "moneyball," just recently at sundance helping promote two movies coming out soon. then he was also going to be involved in a showtime pilot that was ready for launch that's called "happyish." unclear how his untimely death now will impact these new releases and even projects that were still under way to his credit he was to be directing a movie that was going to be coming out in production with another movie involving amy adams and jake gyllenhaal.
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they had just signed on with a movie he was involved in. we'll have much more on the tragic loss of this very talented actor. at the age of 46, philip seymour hoffman. we're also going to be joined by entertainment correspondent nischelle turner, who also has a statement of the family of this actor right after this. wow, this hotel is amazing. oh no. who are you? who are you? wrong answer. wait, daddy, this is blair, he booked this room with priceline express deals and saved a ton. yeah, i didn't have to bid i got everything i wanted. oh good i always do. oh good he seemed nice. express deals. priceline savings without the bidding.
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before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. [ male announcer ] just a few dabs is clinically proven to seal out more food particles. [ corrine ] super poligrip is part of my life now. >> people are kind of a little bit -- that's what was really nice, getting to work or hang out with people you knew a little bit, getting to know them, john flattery, getting to work with them in an intimate way. every week, few days i got to
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meet another great actor and play through part of a story with them. that was really pleasurable. that really was. >> i imagine that kind of keeps your -- keeps the joy of >> the other actors keep you coming back a long time. >> an interview with phillip seymour hoffman just last month and alongside him on the right was an actress there. and they were talking about a new movie that was being showcased during the film festival. krista smith is with us now. you were conducting the interview. and you described the last we spoke about 15 minutes ago that he did seem a bit more heavy set but seemed like the same you know phillip seymour hoffman
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that anyone was accustomed to. he didn't come across as the actor that you can't quite reach him. but instead someone that you could sit down and talk with. he was talking about other actors as well as that current project? >> he showed up early. which isn't always customary. and he kind of hung out for a bit. a lot of times when you are in the presence of someone like that you are not quite sure how to be with them and he was completely warm and the second you know we sat down he was present and engaged in the inner view and he went onto make us laugh and he was completely
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onboard to do that. so, it shows that his character. he did friends and actors that have known him forever. he was serious about his work. he had a great work ethic. he was idolized by contemporaries and it was a special thing to kind of be so recognized by your peers as one of the greatest living actors and everyone wanted to work with him again. and they took from him. he was serious, he was disciplined. and in turn, you wanted to impress him. you wanted to be your best for phil. at sun dance you could tell he got to work with all of the good theater actors. and he enjoyed it and that was part of the joys of being an actor. even the movies that you would
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see would be a great paycheck like "the hunger games". you know that there had to be something in that character that he wanted to do. he loved aci acting and as a consequence, he had two movies at the sun dance film festival. >> he had another one with rachel mcadams that was premiering later in the weeks that i did not get a chance to see. we are looking at the photographs as yyou speak so wel of him. and you would actually when we spoke earlier you were talking about how he reaches so many generations of actors and audiences and that is a
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testament of his talent and how he always remained relevant and current and how he would reach for roles that would challenge him it seems. it seems that a lot of these rolls he would relate to as well. he is a norm new yorker and his went to public school. he was a man of the people. he walked the streets and walked his kids to school. he would take on these characters that reflected humanity. that is what i would be drawn towards. it is true, when he came up he went to nyu. he has never lost his theater roots. there are a whole list of fans that only know him from broadway as opposed to us that know him from boogie nights the movies
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where he played the great great characters. he wasn't afraid of anything and he just took it on and he remained who he was. he didn't no matter, he had four oscar nominations and one win and had he not died so suddenly, he would have gone onto get more. he never lost the es sesence ofo he was. he was able to play all different characters even though you would think he would be a type. >> krista smith entertainment for cnn and senior west coast editor with vanity fair. we are going to turn to cnn's michelle turner where today it is superbowl sunday and already so many celebrities in town in the new york, new jersey
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state area. now this news is rippling through the community there in lower manhattan but throughout the whole area. tell me more about what is being said. i understand you have the statement from the family. >> reporter: we are out here for the superbowl and i was out here covering this event. but we are just getting a statement from the family of phillip see m philip seymour hoffman. i want to get it all right. his family says, we are devastated by the loss of our beloved phil and we appreciate the out pouring of love and support that we have reliceived
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from everyone. please keep phil in your thoughts and prayers and his rep f goes onto say that is what they are saying right now. we had dr. drew on a little bit ago and how the arm of addiction becomes a battle and anyone who has had a family member with an addiction. comed comedian richard louis said psh was one of the most wonderful people i knew. please get help if you need it. if you are struggling with addiction please get help.
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we were talking about one of his projects. you were talking about the movies and she spoke with his movie "god's pocket". the other movie that debuted for him there was another movie and lots of big fames names in that. he did have other projects in the works. a movie that he would be directing. ezekial moss, he had just finished shooting the hunger games part one. they are in the middle ovf shooting part 2. >> my goodness. he was involved in so much on the big screen and even on stage as well. you mentioned so many actors
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refer to him as an actor's actor and he did so many things and he did them all very well didn't he? >> yeah. he did. we have been talking about his reign range. philip seymour hoffman transformed any role he took on. whether it was the most intelligent scholar or the mobster evil character. everyone of those roles he played was so believable. he loved the theater and that is where he started and where his heart was. he was a member of the north theater crowd. those actors who started in the theater and loved to be on stage are the ones who do their craft the best.
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and who they really look up to because those are the actor's actors. he was held in that regard by members of the hollywood community and just in general by the industry. >> all right. michelle turner. hold tight. we are going to take a moment to reprise people of what is taking place. if you are joining us. of the tragic death of the 46 brilliant actor philip seymour hoffman. we learned in the 11:00 am eastern hour today the body of this brilliant actor was found in this lower manhattan actor. a friend had access to this apartment no one had heard from him since 8:00 last night. found his lifeless body in the
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