Now a legend in his own right, Judd Hirsch wasn’t an expected choice to star in a Best Picture winner in 1980. But he was tapped to play Dr. Tyrone Berger in the directorial debut of the biggest movie star in the world. Robert Redford ’s Ordinary People , the story of a family that breaks down after the accidental death of one of the sons, would go on to win four Oscars, including a Supporting Actor nomination for Hirsch.

Hirsch spoke to Rolling Stone about Redford’s approachable style, and how it feels to lose “one of the biggies.”

He believed in honesty. He’s only been an honest actor, which is where I come from too. For me, it’s necessary for someone to do what they truly believe. Otherwise, we can see it. We can see it trying. He was interested more in the innocence of what y

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