Jeff Bridges' cancer battle left him in 'surrender mode' while filming 'The Old Man'

Jeff Bridges was successful conflict aliases formation mode soon aft receiving a test of non-Hodgkin lymphoma successful 2020.

Bridges, 74, who portrays a erstwhile CIA operative successful "The Old Man," was diagnosed pinch nan shape of humor crab aft a doctor's check-up revealed he had a ample tummy tumor. 

Months before, nan acclaimed character had filmed aggravated conflict scenes for play 1 of nan FX bid wherever he had been "smacked astir and punched successful nan stomach."

"God, looking backmost connected those, I really winced because I didn't cognize it astatine nan time, but I had a 9 by 12 inch tumor successful my tummy — 9 by 12 inch! — while I'm getting smacked astir and punched successful nan tummy and stuff," Bridges told People magazine. "Didn't hurt. There was nary pain. But past I had this agelong hiatus [from filming]."

JEFF BRIDGES VIEWS CANCER BATTLE THAT LEFT HIM 'PRETTY CLOSE TO DYING' AS 'LEARNING EXPERIENCE'

Jeff Bridges struggled pinch his non-Hodgkin Lymphoma diagnosis. (Gilbert Flores)

While he underwent chemotherapy and besides contracted COVID during nan show's hiatus, Bridges was near wondering if he was "even going to do a play 2" of nan program.

JEFF BRIDGES SAYS HE HAD MASSIVE ‘9-INCH BY 12-INCH TUMOR' WHILE FILMING THRILLER TV SHOW

"While I was sick, I thought I not only wouldn't spell backmost to ‘The Old Man,’ I thought I mightiness conscionable footwear nan bucket. It sewage down to that," he said. "I retrieve 1 expert said, 'You sewage to fight, Jeff. You're not fighting.'

Jeff Bridges thought he "might conscionable footwear nan bucket" during his conflict pinch cancer. (Getty Images)

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"While I was sick, I thought I not only wouldn't spell backmost to ‘The Old Man,’ I thought I mightiness conscionable footwear nan bucket. It sewage down to that."

"And I had nary thought what he was talking about. I was successful surrender mode, just, ‘Everybody dies. This mightiness beryllium maine doing that.’ And retired of that surrender, for illustration I say, each of this aggravated emotion surfaced, and possibly that's what caused maine to survive, I don't know. But I didn't subordinate to nan fighting thing, much of a surrendering."

In summation to treatments, "The Big Lebowski" star began aggravated beingness therapy and group small goals pinch his therapist to thief him attraction connected nan future. One goal: being patient capable to locomotion his girl Hayley down nan aisle astatine her wedding.

Bridges and woman Susan Geston person been joined for 48 years. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

"I didn't cognize really I could do that, but I said, ‘Well, let's train. Let's put that arsenic our goal,'" he said. "So we worked connected that. And turned out, not only did I locomotion her down nan aisle, but I sewage to do nan wedding creation pinch her. Then I'd unreserved to my array and put my oxygen on!"

Bridges' tumor reduced down to nan size of a marble going into play 2 of "The Old Man," and his oncologist is proud of his progress.

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"I don't cognize nan nonstop size of it," Bridges said. "I get MRIs and each that down nan line, but my oncologist says, ‘You're looking good, man.’ And I get each my humor tests and everything and everything's going existent well."

Throughout his "fascinating" wellness journey, Bridges has learned a fewer lessons.

"The Big Lebowski" character said "everything's going existent well" erstwhile it comes to his wellness now. (Getty Images)

"All of your strategies for life, really you activity — each of those get heightened," he said. "And love, that's nan connection that comes to mind. To spot really overmuch I emotion my family and my friends and nan nurses and doctors that were caring for me, and really overmuch emotion is coming astatine me. 

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"So it conscionable exacerbated love, basically."