‘The Old Man’: Jeff Bridges & John Lithgow Preview Season 2’s Final Mission

Offscreen, Hollywood icons Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow share a tremendous respect for one another. But onscreen, at least in FX’s fast-paced thriller The Old Man, it’s a different story: There’s a playful animosity between their characters, Dan Chase (Bridges) and Harold Harper (Lithgow), old friends turned enemies turned reluctant partners in what looks like their final mission.

Season 2 — which comes to a dramatic conclusion in the October 24th episode — has seen Bridges, 74, and Lithgow, 78, getting beat down and dirtied up and, of course, doing a lot of bickering. “I think there’s always been that kind of friction between them, even though they’ve been inseparable friends in many ways,” Lithgow says. “Just like Jeff and I are very different, I think Chase and Harold are very different, and they rub each other the wrong way. In this case, there are huge stakes involved.”

Chuck Hodes/FX

Still, Bridges and Lithgow aren’t entirely dissimilar. Both are second-generation actors, for example, sons of the legendary Lloyd Bridges and noted stage actor and director Arthur Lithgow. Both performed some of their own stunts this season (thundering across the desert riding double on horseback was a classic!). “And,” Bridges adds, “we approach acting the same way. There are a lot of actors [who say], ‘Please only call me by my character’s name, and let’s not have any contact.’ We both work 180 degrees from that. We both really like to get to know each other.”

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Mission accomplished on the friendship part. But as the season comes to a close, whether their characters will survive is unknown. At one point in the series, Harold reminded Chase that he doesn’t get to determine how he’ll be remembered. It’s the “rememberers” who decide.

In real life, Bridges already knows what his lasting legacy will be: “That dude thing, [The Big] Lebowski. Nobody knew quite what to make of it, and it just kind of grew and grew.” 

The Old Man, Season 2 Finale, Thursday, October 24, 10/9c, FX