'The Old Man’: Jeff Bridges & Amy Brenneman Discuss Their Spy Drama, ‘Tron: Ares’, ‘Heat’ & More [Bingeworthy Podcast]

In this week’s episode of Bingeworthy, our TV and streaming podcast host Mike DeAngelo is on a mission to discuss “The Old Man.” The FX and Hulu series follows a retired former spy who is hiding from the agency that once employed him; his life is suddenly upended by a man he hasn’t seen in thirty years. The spy series stars Jeff Bridges, Amy Brenneman, John Lithgow, Alia Shawkat, Bill Heck, and more.

Joining Bingeworthy to discuss the underrated spy thriller are the show’s stars, Jeff Bridges and Amy Brenneman. Bridges has spent his career almost entirely in film, and, outside of a couple of exceptions, he doesn’t return to characters often, but with “The Old Man,” it just felt right.

“I returned to [‘Tron’ and] ‘The Last Picture Show’ in ‘Texasville.’ That was another one —Annie Potts is a friend of ours, so we did that.” Bridges said. “It’s wonderful to come back like that. But, you know, it always feels like a long weekend. But in between, you just pick up where you left off. Boom! It’s like muscle memory or something.”

“I also think, having now done streaming and network TV, this feels like a movie,” Brenneman added. “I mean, this feels like ‘Lord of the Rings’ doing three different [chapters], you know what I mean? It’s so beautifully plotted. I mean, shows like ‘Judging Amy’ and the ‘Private Practices’ [are] really carried [by] characters behaving. This is really [about] what’s happening in the story, right? And character tied to the story.”

Brenneman, an acting veteran herself, is perhaps best known for playing Edie, a bad man’s romantic love interest, in Michael Mann’s heist classic, “Heat.” While noting the excellent writing in “The Old Man,” Brenneman was hesitant to jump into a role so similar to one of her best-known roles.

“When I first sat down with the guys to talk about Zoe, I was compelled by Jeff [Bridges], but I also was like, ‘How does a lady in her fifties play the girlfriend?’ I did that,” Brenneman said. “And I said, ‘It kind of reminds me of ‘Heat.’ And I was like, ‘I’m not that interested in being a passive observer of these bad guys.’ And, because boys love ‘Heat,’ they said, ‘Oh no, we think about that all the time. And we think about Zoe; we call her Edie Evolved. So what if Edie was 25 years older?”

This is where Brenneman’s interest was most piqued. Now, she could wrestle with some of the things she felt weren’t entirely truthful about Edie.

“And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s interesting!’ Brenneman continued. “So I’m dialoguing with myself, with culture, with an earlier character. There’s a scene that, and it’s so romantic [in ‘Heat’], and Michael Mann’s still a dear friend, and it’s the best movie in the world, but like, for me, that scene when De Niro’s like, ‘I’m a bad guy. Will you stay with me?’ And I just sort of fold into him, and it always bugs me. So in episode three of season one, there’s just a callback to it where I find out his [secret], and his daughter, Alia [Shawkat], is like, ‘I know he’s a bad guy, but he loves you.’ And I say, ‘Get out of my house!’ And it’s just a wonderful [nod], like nobody may know, but I’m kind of dialoguing with an earlier role quite literally.”

The season is filled with raw emotion, thrills, and cliffhanger after cliffhanger up until the end, which begs the question—how long can this story go?

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“We don’t know if there’s going to be a season three, but it’d be kind of odd if there wasn’t, just the way we move on from season two,” Brenneman shared. “But I know Steinberg always saw this as a three-act play. And so we feel like season two is in the middle of this really awesome story and where the characters are coming into their own in different ways.”

Bridges can next be seen returning to the world of “Tron” in “Tron: Ares.” This may have some fans scratching their heads, as the previous entry, “Tron: Legacy,” ended with Bridges sacrificing himself to save his son. So, how is he back?

“It’s science fiction, man,” Bridges joked. “It’s a cartoon based on the idea that anything can happen. I asked the same questions, but evidently, I’m sort of the ghost in the machine.”

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So, does that mean Bridges is playing a bit of CLU and a bit of Kevin Flynn all wrapped up in one?

“Yeah,” Bridges confirmed.

The Playlist Presents – Jeff Bridges & Amy Brenneman’s Film/TV Recommendation Playlist:

1.) “Pen15” (2019) – Created By Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, & Sam Zwibleman (Jeff’s Pick)

2.) “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” (2024) – Created By Donald Glover & Francesca Sloane (Jeff’s Pick)

3.) “Fearless” (1993) – Directed By Peter Weir (Amy’s Pick)

4.) “Bo Burnham: Inside” (2013) – Written and Directed By Bo Burnham (Jeff’s Pick)

“The Old Man” is currently streaming new episodes weekly on FX and Hulu. Listen to the full interview below:

Bingeworthy is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes The Playlist Podcast, Deep Focus, The Discourse and more. We can be heard on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the embed within the article or click on the lead image at the top page. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.