Jeff Bridges signed on to star in the TV series The Old Man because he wanted in on the new golden age of television.

The Oscar winner is a household name thanks to his work on the big screen, but away from work, Jeff had become impressed with the quality of productions being produced for the small screen.

He follows other Hollywood heavyweights like Julia Roberts, Anthony Hopkins, and Al Pacino who have also swapped cinema for TV shows.

Asked by Radio Times about the difference between creating film and TV, the 72-year-old insisted there was “absolutely no difference”.

“The only difference really is that across a full series, you get a chance to learn more about the characters,” he elaborated. “You don’t have to rush and tell the story too quickly. You can stretch it out and go more in-depth. It’s almost more like a novel.

“The quality now that comes out of the television is incredible. My father, Lloyd Bridges, did a bunch of TV series and back in those days, there was never enough time to make the quality work you wanted. He struggled with that. But then seeing these great TV shows coming out now, I thought, ‘Wow, I want to explore that medium.'”

The Old Man follows the story of Jeff’s character Dan Chase, a former CIA operative who has been living off the grid in Upstate New York for 30 years. But after killing an intruder, he is forced to go on the run.

It’s based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Thomas Perry and has already been renewed for a second season.

– Cover Media