Stephen Lovekin/Getty ImagesNo matter how many accolades and awards Philip Seymour Hoffman received during his film and stage career, he remained forever modest.
And he proved that when I talked to him about two weeks ago at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. In what would be one of his last interviews before his death this morning in New York City, I chatted with the actor at the premiere of A Most Wanted Man, a thriller in which he plays a German spy heading up an anti-terrorism operation in Hamburg.
Asked if he ever thought he'd play a German spy, he said, "I never thought I'd play any of the roles I played."
In his most high profile work, Hoffman made his Hunger Games debut last year as Plutarch Heavensbee in Catching Fire.
"I have a lot of fun with those guys," he said of joining the franchise. "They're a good group. [Director] Francis Lawrence is a great guy."
Despite Catching Fire's success, Hoffman didn't see himself becoming the object of its fandemonium. "They're chasing other people right now," he said with a soft chuckle.
Like Jennifer Lawrence. "She's terrific," Hoffman gushed.
So were you, Mr. Hoffman. So were you.
Hoffman was found dead in his New York City apartment earlier today of an apparent drug overdose. He is survived by his longtime partner, Mimi O'Donnell, and their three children.
He won an Oscar in 2006 for his starring role in Capote.
After the screening of a A Most Wanted Man, Hoffman attended a dinner for the movie with costars Rachel McAdams and Willem Dafoe and their director Anton Corbijn.