Jeff Bridges reflects on two life-threatening battles and emotional journey

Jeff Bridges, an Academy Award-winning actor, recently opened up about his battle with cancer and how it affected his career.

According to People Magazine, Bridges talked about the finale of The Old Man season 2, which aired on October 24, and shared his thoughts on the health challenges he faced while working on the FX series.

For the unversed, Bridges was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the lymph system, in 2020 during the shooting of The Old Man season 1.

The 74-year-old also contracted COVID-19 while getting chemotherapy.

He remembered going into "surrender mode" and constantly feeling that he "would not survive," but the "intense love" and support from people around him helped him survive.

During his conversation with the same outlet, Bridges said, "While I was sick, I thought I not only wouldn't go back to 'The Old Man', I thought I might just kick the bucket. It got down to that." 

Reminiscing over the painful days, he articulated that one doctor told him, "'You got to fight, Jeff. You're not fighting,'" and added, "And I had no idea what he was talking about. I was in surrender mode, just, 'Everybody dies. This might be me doing that.'

"And out of that surrender, like I say, all of this intense love surfaced, and maybe that's what caused me to survive, I don't know. But I didn't relate to the fighting thing, more of a surrendering," the Tron star remarked.

Moreover, the Crazy Heart actor, who has three daughters with his wife Susan Geston, underwent "intense" physical therapy while getting cancer treatment, and his main motivation during the tough time was to be healthy enough to walk his youngest daughter, Hayley, 39, down the aisle at her wedding.

"I didn't know how I could do that, but I said, 'Well, let's train. Let's put that as our goal.' So we worked on that. And turned out not only did I walk her down the aisle, but I got to do the wedding dance with her. Then I'd rush to my table and put my oxygen on!" Bridges concluded by saying.

It is pertinent to mention that The Old Man's season 1 was released on June 16, 2022, while the second season debuted on September 12, 2024, which is available on FX.