Bruce Dern, the veteran American actor who turns 90 next month, was celebrated at the Cannes Film Festival this week with the premiere of a documentary about his life and career. Titled 'Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern,' the film explores his decades-long journey in Hollywood, where he carved a niche playing memorable villains and supporting characters.
Reflecting on his career, Dern recalled advice from Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg, who warned him he would not be a leading man but rather 'the fifth cowboy to the right.' He said, 'They said: Just make sure you’re the most honest, unique fifth cowboy right that anyone’s ever seen.' Dern, an avid marathon runner, compared acting to an endurance sport.
Dern first attended Cannes with Alfred Hitchcock for 'Marnie.' In 2013, he won the best actor award at the festival for his leading role in Alexander Payne's 'Nebraska.' His daughter, Laura Dern, joined him at Cannes, where she is filming the fourth season of 'The White Lotus.' She recalled that as a child, people often said, 'Boy, do I love to hate your dad,' referring to his on-screen villainy.
Dern's filmography includes striking Barbara Stanwyck, lynching Clint Eastwood, and killing John Wayne in 'The Cowboys.' In 'Black Sunday' (1977), he played a disturbed Vietnam veteran who attempts to bomb the Super Bowl. Quentin Tarantino, a fan, calls Dern 'one of the finest and most entertaining examples of great American acting.'
Director Mike Mendez described the challenge of interviewing Dern, saying, 'He’s like a wild bull. You can feed him a question and his mind is just going to go wherever it’s going to go.' Dern's improvisational style, known as 'Dernsies,' was coined by Jack Nicholson. During a scene with Brad Pitt in 'Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,' Dern added a line that moved Pitt to tears.
