The Transformation Of Philip Seymour Hoffman's Son Cooper

Born in 2003, Cooper Hoffman's transformation from a shy kid afraid of show business to one of Hollywood's most exciting young actors is a journey that would make his father Philip Seymour Hoffman proud. While it may seem like Hoffman has only been acting for a short time (which is true), the only son of Philip has danced around the periphery of Hollywood since he was a kid. After all, who can forget the famous photo of a nine-year-old Cooper sitting court-side at his father's beloved New York Knicks game, as the two struck an uncannily similar pose?

But Cooper's Hollywood career has always loomed under the shadow of his father's tragic death. After succumbing to a lifelong struggle with addiction, Philip died from a drug overdose at the age of 46 in his New York City apartment in 2014, leaving his partner Mimi O'Donnell to look after Cooper and his two younger sisters, Tallulah and Willa. It would be difficult for anyone to follow in the footsteps of someone who Nicole Kidman called "one of the greatest actor's actors of all time" (via People) but Cooper's transformation from look-alike son of a legend to burgeoning talent in his own right is a heartwarming journey worth examining.

Cooper Hoffman may not remember, but from the moment he was born, his father Philip Seymour Hoffman wanted him to be a part of his life and his work. Speaking to Vogue, Cooper's mother Mimi O'Donnell talked about how Philip refused to hire an au pair when Cooper was born. She recalled asking Philip, "You want us to come to Winnipeg in the winter while you're shooting?" To which Philip answered: "Just bring him. We all need to be together." And while many may point to Cooper's brush of red hair as a direct link to his father's genes, Cooper also bears a great resemblance to his mother.

Cooper's expanding Hollywood circle has always blended family and fame. His mother is a former costume designer for "Saturday Night Live" who is now a producer. Cooper has also become fast friends with co-star Alana Haim, who is the third sister and member of the Taylor Swift-approved musical group Haim (part of her famous 2015 squad), and who likely knows something about keeping family close amidst the demands of celebrity. Her and Cooper grew close over the filming of "Licorice Pizza," with her often picking up her driver's license-less co-star to take him to set or escape to In-N-Out for lunch.

Cooper Hoffman never planned on being an actor. He told the AP in 2022: "I don't think I ever really considered it a possibility. I was always kind of scared to enter that arena because my dad did it so well." But his reclusive nature went beyond just acting, perhaps speaking to what it was like growing up as the son of a revered actor, saying, "I think attention scares me a little bit." Even when Cooper would eventually get involved in theatrical productions when he was younger, he told W Magazine that he preferred to stay behind the scenes instead of in the spotlight, saying, "I was always trying to be in the stage crew whenever a play came up, and I actually remember a time when everybody, including the crew, had to go onstage, and I didn't go onstage."

And when he was brought into the bright lights of Hollywood, Cooper preferred to do his own thing and his father was happy to oblige. When Philip was nominated for a 2013 Best Actor Oscar for "The Master," he decided to bring his son along. Cooper later recalled to the AP how after the ceremony, at one of the fabled celebrity afterparties, he asked his dad if they could go home. Cooper said, "At some point in the night, I said, 'I don't like this. I want to go. This is overwhelming. There are too many people. We just went back to the hotel and played Wii and ate cheeseburgers and Joaquin Phoenix came over and we hung out with him. And that's all I really wanted to do." 

Cooper Hoffman's indifference to acting changed when he met with his father's long-time collaborator and "The Master" director Paul Thomas Anderson, who wanted Cooper to read for a starring role in "Licorice Pizza." The 2021 film was Cooper's first major role, and he luckily had the chance to share the screen with another first-time actor in Alana Haim. And while Cooper may have at first but reticent to act, he told the AP, "the second I read with Paul and Alana, I kind of got so emotional. I was like, 'Oh my god, I need to do this.'"

Once he had the role, Cooper received a nerve-wracking introduction to being in front of the camera when his first ever scene was filmed opposite none other than Academy Award winner Bradley Cooper. The first time actor said, "The first take I was shaking. Paul didn't use it, obviously, because I was stuttering my words. It was great to have Alana there. Afterward we were like, 'What the hell did we get ourselves into?'" He clearly got over the nerves, because critics praised his silver screen debut and he earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

The 2021 film "Licorice Pizza" was the turning point that made him re-consider whether he was fated to follow in his father's footsteps. Speaking to the AP about his debut role, he said: "In a weird way, it felt almost like I was stepping into my dad's shoes. It really was this feeling of: Maybe this is what he felt like. It was this weird out-of-body experience. I felt incredibly close to my dad through the whole shooting process." Some of that credit may be due to the fact that Paul Thomas Anderson had directed his father Philip in five films prior, with Anderson serving as a sort of medium between the two generations of Hoffmans.

As he stepped into his father's shoes, Cooper also watched his dad's films. And from one actor to another, Cooper thinks highly of his dad's work. He told the AP: "Of course, it's an emotional thing to watch someone that's gone in a movie. I love watching my dad. I think he's a brilliant actor. I know I'm biased but I do genuinely think that's true." 

In the same interview, Anderson mentions that when Cooper was just a toddler, Anderson would direct him and his own son Jack in home iPhone movies in the vein of "Mission: Impossible", where Cooper would often play the villain. It is a cute anecdote that nonetheless that makes us wonder if maybe a young Cooper somehow got some inspiration from his father's own villainous role opposite Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible 3."

Cooper Hoffman's real transformation is only beginning, as the actor continues to add new roles to his resume and even better company alongside himself on screen. In 2024's "Saturday Night," he was surrounded by a bursting cast of young Hollywood up-and-comers along with some industry veterans that include Rachel Sennett, Gabriel LaBelle, Dylan O'Brien, Ella Hunt, Matt Wood, "New Girl" star Lamorne Morris, and everyone's favorite "Succession" cousin, Nicholas Braun. The film takes audiences back to 1975 where he morphs into famed "Saturday Night Live" producer Dick Ebersol as the film depicts the hectic first night of the now famous show.

That same year, he appeared "Old Guy" alongside Christoph Waltz and Lucy Liu and was cast as a "sexual muse" opposite former Harry Styles-muse, Olivia Wilde, in "I Want Your Sex." The burgeoning leading man may always be compared to his father, but Hoffman is clear that he is on a journey of his own and hopes that the world will see it not just as a transformation into his father, but into an outstanding actor of his own. He fittingly told the AP, "Right now, for the time being, I very much want to be an actor. And I'm doing it. I'm happy to take this road and see what happens with it ... It's a beautiful thing to be compared to my father. But I also do hope, the fact that I'm an actor, that people don't just look at me as his kid. I hope people can differentiate us."