From the Dude to the Duke: Jeff Bridges Connects "The Big Lebowski" to "True Grit"

Jeff Bridges, in his second outing this month, stars as the cantankerous U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn in the Coen brothers' latest film, True Grit, which, like the 1969 version starring John Wayne, is based on a novel by Charles Portis. This version, however, is more faithful to the book, with a delightful script that's rich in contraction-free locution. Bridges' character isn't an obvious choice for a western hero -- a grumpy, grungy drunk, he's first seen on the witness stand, testifying to how many men he's shot and killed, a number he can't quite keep track of. Bridges himself has better recall, and bears witness to what it took to embody the role.

Q: What was your reaction when the Coen brothers first asked you to do True Grit?

A: I said, "Gee, didn't they already make that movie? Why do you want to make it again?" And they said, "We're not remaking the film, we're really making a version of the book." And I wasn't familiar with the book, so I went and read it, and then I saw what they were talking about.

Q: How did doing The Big Lebowski help you do True Grit? Not just working with the Coens, but they also use a lot of the same crew...

A: Well, whenever they're throwing a party, I want to come. I love working with the Coen brothers. They're great. They assemble a great group of artists, and they create a family feel with the cast and crew, with this relaxed atmosphere, and everybody knows each other, and if you're lucky, you get to work with them more than once. [Cinematographer] Roger Deakins, he also shot The Big Lebowski. And Mary Zophres, she also did the costume design for The Big Lebowski. One of the most important aspects of developing a character is the wardrobe, the props, the set -- they tell you all kinds of things about the character. And so Mary and I worked together for a couple of days, figuring out the hat, the boots, the eye patch. She had all these wonderful books of all the possible styles. I do admire her expertise, she really knew the looks we were going for. And then the character starts to fall into place. It's a slow process of coming into focus.

Q: Speaking of focus, how did you make the decision to shift the eye patch? John Wayne wore it on the other eye... but this isn't a film remake, so did that even factor into it?

A: I put it on the right eye, thought it was good. I put it on the left eye, thought not so good. I asked Joel and Ethan, "What do you think, guys?" But it wasn't intentional to shift it per se.

Q: John Wayne won an Oscar for his portrayal of Rooster...

A: And god, what a great character. Most westerns have a strong, silent type, and he's the antithesis of that. He's talkative, he's boorish, he's certainly not in shape. He's a bit of an outlaw, or he was. He's on both sides of the law. I used my dad as a model for parts of him, because I loved it when my dad would play a western, and have his cowboy clothes on. So I guess there's some of my dad in there. We all got into cowboy mode on set, and it was fairly common to see the Coens in cowboy hats.

Q: Were folks practicing talking without contractions on set as well?

A: That was a fun challenge to take on, speaking that way. Every once in a while, we'd allow a contraction to slip in, if it felt right. If it felt musical.

The Big Lebowski airs on Current TV on Thursday, January 27 at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT.