Cooper Hoffman Is Figuring Out How to Succeed — and Survive

T here's a ghost following Cooper Hoffman . Luckily for me, he brings it up first.

We're only around 20 minutes into breakfast at the West Village staple Morandi the first time Hoffman mentions his late father, the beloved actor Philip Seymour Hoffman . The restaurant has long been one of his family's favorite haunts, and the booth three spots over is where Hoffman recently celebrated his younger sister's high school graduation and acceptance to either Michigan State or the University of Michigan (Hoffman, laughing and shamefaced, keeps forgetting which). When the conversation turns to the New York Knicks' unbelievable playoff run, a decades-in-the-making miracle that Hoffman had to watch "drunk in bed" while in London attending a wedding, he invokes the memory of a man he lost just a month before his 11th birthday.

"I've waited 23 years for the Knicks to be as good as they are. It's a crazy thing. I don't like talking about it because it makes it seem sad, but the whole reason I watch the Knicks is because of my dad," Hoffman says. "My dad not being here was massive… It added a layer of sadness to it that I wish wasn't there. And I can't help but be honest about that."

The loss of anyone, let alone a parent, is hard enough. But Hoffman is facing an even more unique problem: His private pain is something he has to share with the public. People feel like they knew his dad, who died in 2014 of an accidental drug overdose at 46. So they think they know Hoffman. "People come up to me and talk about loss, people dying," he says, shrugging. And given that he's chosen to become an actor as well, comparison is inevitable.

Of course, the family legacy is not all woe: Hollywood giants are in Hoffman's cell phone, handing out pointers and, in the case of director Paul Thomas Anderson, giving him his big break ( Licorice Pizza ). And if Hoffman feels any pressure, it doesn't show. His naturalistic acting style and a wide-ranging slate of projects — including this summer's BDSM comedy I Want Your Sex , the college-set indie Poetic License (Maude Apatow's directorial debut, due out next year), and Luca Guadagnino's highly anticipated OpenAI drama Artificial — reflect a refreshingly easygoing approach to his career. Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

"You're gonna be compared no matter what. And by the way, to be compared to that guy is a massive honor. My dad's my favorite actor. I am trying to figure out who I am outside of it," Hoffman says. "What I hope to leave behind is a lot of good work. But I think there's a way to go about it and not take it so seriously."

THE ONCE PALE BLUE sky outside is threatening a storm by the time Hoffman shows me his playlist of sex songs. With one hand curled around a sweating glass of iced americano — Hoffman was at the Today show for an 8 a.m. segment and still has to film a spot at Late Night With Seth Meyers before the New York premiere of I Want Your Sex later tonight — he uses the other to scroll a private Spotify playlist that includes Arctic Monkeys, Frank Ocean, some Brent Fias, Maroon 5, R.E.M., and the Beach Boys. Hoffman says listening to the tracks allowed him to quickly lock in to his character in the hypersexual comedy. Hoffman stars as Elliot, who's just graduated from college. He's living with his best friend, Apple (Chase Sui Wonders), fighting a stifling and sexless relationship with his girlfriend, Minerva (Charli XCX), and searching high and low for a job that feels fulfilling. When he's hired by modern artist Erika Tracey (Olivia Wilde), he's quickly promoted from lowly assistant to her submissive, thrusting him (literally) into a world of ball gags, maid outfits, and strap-ons. Related Content Andrew Garfield Is Having the Time of His Life Adam Schlesinger Inspires $65,000 Award for Unproduced Musical Watch Philip Seymour Hoffman's Unseen Final Filmed Role Philip Seymour Hoffman's Widow Mimi O'Donnell Reflects on His Death, Addiction

"I remember first falling in love, I would listen to love songs. There was no bad, no consequences, no heartbreak yet, no jaded opinion," he says. "Elliot's in that world with Erika. It's like, 'I want to give everything to this person, and I'm not thinking about any of the consequences.'"

Hoffman nails the beatific show of surrender the role requires, a state of mind he says was easier to achieve than he expected given the circumstances. "Elliot is experiencing a level of pleasure and freedom that behind closed doors is really nice to feel. But I'm doing it in front of a bunch of cameramen and boom ops and our director," he says. " I'm getting spanked in those scenes. My butt is out. When you have to be naked or do anything sexual, it does a lot of the work for you."

At some point, Hoffman and I realize we're both staring down the barrel of a beautifully dressed side salad. When I ask if the cyclospora outbreak currently making lettuce a no-go includes arugula, he lets out a big breath. "That's literally what I was just thinking." He pushes the plate away with a finger. "Let's see if it calls to us. We'll see what happens."

Onscreen and off, this is Hoffman: disarmingly laid-back. Things are "great," he's "a huge fan" of the directors he works with and the ones he's never met. He gets distracted at multiple points in the interview to discuss his pure exhilaration at the just-announced casting of his The Long Walk co-star David Jonsson as the new Black Panther. "I say this with ease — there's literally no one else for the job. They're geniuses for casting him," he gushes, hands running through his hair in excitement. "Him and Ryan Coogler, are you joking? I'm sat. The dude's a movie star."

It's easy to imagine how this affability charms in audition rooms. The Long Walk director Francis Lawrence describes Hoffman as an intelligent actor whose talent was apparent im...

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