Philip Seymour Hoffman's sister pens essay remembering brother's talent and coping with his loss 10 years after death
Philip Seymour Hoffman's sister, Emily Barr, recalled her brother's talent and detailed in part how she coped with his death, in a new essay titled "Encyclopedia Brown: A Story for My Brother, Philip Seymour Hoffman."
In the essay, published in The Paris Review on Monday, Barr recalled approaching the librarian at her public library in order to collect magazine clippings that mentioned her late brother in order to keep his memory alive.
"I didn't want to read these articles. But I didn't want children cutting them up in class next year. More importantly, I didn't want one of my children to be sitting in art class and get handed one of these magazines and open it up to see their uncle Phil."
Barr began the essay describing trips to the library with her brother and discussing some of Hoffman's favorite mystery movies and books, identifying "Encyclopedia Brown" books and "The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother" with Gene Wilder as a preferred choice.
"I could swear that Phil based much of his acting technique on watching Gene Wilder scenes like this over and over as a kid," wrote Barr. "The physical comedy is subtle in that the main character is unaware of his buffoonery—only the audience is in on the joke. Phil did this a lot: we would know that something was up, but the character himself was often clueless."
Barr cited examples of this technique in classic Hoffman films like "Along Came Polly," "Boogie Nights," and "The Talented Mr. Ripley."
The Oscar winner, who was notoriously private about his personal life, died in 2014 of an overdose. Hoffman's family released the following statement after the actor's untimely death:
"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone. This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time of grieving. Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers."
Hoffman won the Best Actor Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for his leading role in the 2005 film "Capote," which detailed the five-year period during which author Truman Capote penned "In Cold Blood."
He was nominated for three Best Supporting Actor Oscars for "The Master," "Doubt," and "Charlie Wilson's War."
Barr ended the essay by guessing how her late brother may have reacted to her plan to save his articles.
"I walked home in the snow, thinking about the mystery I'd created for her with the missing pieces and also how Phil would think I was ridiculous for doing all this. He'd wrap his big arm around me, and we would walk a little quicker as the temperature dropped and the sun set lower in the sky.We would talk, like when we were kids, imagining the story of Encyclopedia Brown trying to solve The Case of the Vanishing Actor, which takes place in a library with a small wooden door."
Read Barr's full essay here.
