Jeff Bridges says a tumor in his body that was once 9-by-12-inches has considerably shrunk amid his battle with lymphoma.
The Big Lebowski star, 73, chat with AARP in a piece published on Tuesday, giving fans an update on his health nearly three years after he revealed he was battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The Oscar winner told the outlet the tumor had shrunk ‘to the size of a marble’ following extensive chemotherapy.
The Hollywood veteran, of films such as Crazy Heart, The Last Picture Show and True Grit, revealed he was battling the blood cancer in October of 2020, and said in the fall of 2021 that he was in remission.
He said about filming the FX series The Old Man prior to his diagnosis: ‘I was doing those fight scenes for the first episode of The Old Man and didn’t know that I had a 9-by-12-inch tumor in my body.’
The latest: Jeff Bridges, 73, says a tumor in his body has considerably shrunk amid his battle with lymphoma in a new interview with AARP
He said in the AARP interview that his health took a steep decline following a battle with coronavirus in January of 2021, prior to the release of the vaccine.
Bridges called his wife Susan Geston an ‘absolute champion’ as ‘she really fought to keep me off a ventilator’ amid the turbulent timeframe.
‘I didn’t want to be on it, and the doctors didn’t necessarily want that, but she was adamant,’ Bridges said.
The actor was hospitalized for nearly five months and underwent convalescent plasma treatment, which utilizes blood from people who have recovered from the ailment.
He opened up about the complicated recovery process as he underwent chemotherapy with a weakened immune system.
‘A lot of getting better was a matter of setting really small goals,’ the actor said. ‘At first, they’d say, “How long can you stand?”
‘For a while, my record was 45 seconds before I’d collapse. And then they were saying: “Oh, look, you’re standing for a minute! That’s so cool, now can you walk 5 feet?”‘
Bridges said that he felt his long acting career was in jeopardy at the time of the health battle.
Bridges said in the AARP interview that his health took a steep decline following a battle with coronavirus in January of 2021, prior to the release of the vaccine
The actor was hospitalized for nearly five months and underwent convalescent plasma treatment, which utilizes blood from people who have recovered from the ailment
The Hollywood veteran is known for his extensive body of work, which includes films such as The Big Lebowski, Crazy Heart, The Last Picture Show and True Grit
Bridges said that he felt his long acting career was in jeopardy at the time of the health battle
Bridges called his wife Susan Geston an ‘absolute champion’ as ‘she really fought to keep me off a ventilator’ amid the turbulent timeframe. The couple was pictured in LA last month
‘I didn’t think I’d ever work again, really,’ Bridges said. ‘So at first I said, “Well, we’ll see.” But eventually that became, “Maybe I can.” I have to admit that I was still frightened of going back to work.’
Bridges told the publication that he feels better and has commenced with shooting his FX show.
‘I’m so blessed to have this cast,’ he said of the series, which also stars Amy Brenneman and John Lithgow. ‘To get back to what invigorates you, it feels great, man.’
Bridges said that the health battle has reinvigorated his artistic inclinations, saying, ‘I’m feeling that the times are demanding us to be as creative as possible.
‘We should all work together to make something beautiful, like we do in the movies.’
