Jeff Bridges' cancer battle left him in 'surrender mode' while filming 'The Old Man'

Jeff Bridges was successful combat oregon formation mode soon aft receiving a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma successful 2020.

Bridges, 74, who portrays a erstwhile CIA operative successful "The Old Man," was diagnosed with the signifier of humor crab aft a doctor's check-up revealed helium had a ample tummy tumor. 

Months before, the acclaimed histrion had filmed aggravated combat scenes for play 1 of the FX bid wherever helium had been "smacked astir and punched successful the stomach."

"God, looking backmost connected those, I truly winced due to the fact that I didn't cognize it astatine the time, but I had a 9 by 12 inch tumor successful my tummy — 9 by 12 inch! — portion I'm getting smacked astir and punched successful the tummy and stuff," Bridges told People magazine. "Didn't hurt. There was nary pain. But past I had this agelong hiatus [from filming]."

JEFF BRIDGES VIEWS CANCER BATTLE THAT LEFT HIM 'PRETTY CLOSE TO DYING' AS 'LEARNING EXPERIENCE'

Jeff Bridges struggled with his non-Hodgkin Lymphoma diagnosis. (Gilbert Flores)

While helium underwent chemotherapy and besides contracted COVID during the show's hiatus, Bridges was near wondering if helium was "even going to bash a play 2" of the program.

JEFF BRIDGES SAYS HE HAD MASSIVE ‘9-INCH BY 12-INCH TUMOR' WHILE FILMING THRILLER TV SHOW

"While I was sick, I thought I not lone wouldn't spell backmost to ‘The Old Man,’ I thought I mightiness conscionable footwear the bucket. It got down to that," helium said. "I retrieve 1 doc said, 'You got to fight, Jeff. You're not fighting.'

Jeff Bridges thought helium "might conscionable footwear the bucket" during his conflict with cancer. (Getty Images)

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"While I was sick, I thought I not lone wouldn't spell backmost to ‘The Old Man,’ I thought I mightiness conscionable footwear the bucket. It got down to that."

"And I had nary thought what helium was talking about. I was successful surrender mode, just, ‘Everybody dies. This mightiness beryllium maine doing that.’ And retired of that surrender, similar I say, each of this aggravated emotion surfaced, and possibly that's what caused maine to survive, I don't know. But I didn't subordinate to the warring thing, much of a surrendering."

In summation to treatments, "The Big Lebowski" star began aggravated carnal therapy and acceptable small goals with his therapist to assistance him absorption connected the future. One goal: being steadfast capable to locomotion his girl Hayley down the aisle astatine her wedding.

Bridges and woman Susan Geston person been joined for 48 years. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

"I didn't cognize however I could bash that, but I said, ‘Well, let's train. Let's enactment that arsenic our goal,'" helium said. "So we worked connected that. And turned out, not lone did I locomotion her down the aisle, but I got to bash the wedding creation with her. Then I'd unreserved to my array and enactment my oxygen on!"

Bridges' tumor reduced down to the size of a marble going into play 2 of "The Old Man," and his oncologist is arrogant of his progress.

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"I don't cognize the nonstop size of it," Bridges said. "I get MRIs and each that down the line, but my oncologist says, ‘You're looking good, man.’ And I get each my humor tests and everything and everything's going existent well."

Throughout his "fascinating" wellness journey, Bridges has learned a fewer lessons.

"The Big Lebowski" histrion said "everything's going existent well" erstwhile it comes to his wellness now. (Getty Images)

"All of your strategies for life, however you enactment — each of those get heightened," helium said. "And love, that's the connection that comes to mind. To spot however overmuch I emotion my household and my friends and the nurses and doctors that were caring for me, and however overmuch emotion is coming astatine me. 

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"So it conscionable exacerbated love, basically."