Jeff Bridges Injected With Novocaine for Movie Death Scene—’Worked Great’

Jeff Bridges recalled being injected with novocaine earlier than filming a poignant scene in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.

Throughout an look on the Conan O’Brien Wants a Pal podcast on Monday, the actor shared particulars in regards to the ending of the 1974 film, wherein Lightfoot (Bridges) dies of a mind hemorrhage in a automobile alongside Thunderbolt (Clint Eastwood). The Huge Lebowski star mentioned he pulled director Michael Cimino apart on the time to recommend an “thought.”

“That scene that you simply’re speaking about the place I die within the automobile with Clint. I’m going as much as Mike and I say, ‘Mike, I’ve bought an thought,'” he mentioned.

Bridges remembered telling Cimino he “can maintain a half blink fairly good,” however suggested they get a dentist to “shoot me with novocaine on the aspect of my face.” Novocaine is an area anesthetic.

“And he mentioned, ‘Okay,’ so we did that, and it labored nice,” the Golden Globe Award winner mentioned.

He added, nevertheless, that they encountered an issue after filming.

“They misplaced the movie,” the 74-year-old shared. “We needed to do the entire thing once more.”

“What?!” O’Brien replied. “Who is available in and tells you that?”

“That is unbelievable,” O’Brien continued. “As a result of that is a really highly effective ending the place you assume all the things is okay, and you then notice that you simply’re gone.”

Throughout their dialog, Bridges revealed one other behind-the-scenes secret about filming Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.

“Clint solely preferred to do one take, perhaps two,” he mentioned. After talking with Cimino, nevertheless, Bridges mentioned he was in a position to get “Boss” Eastwood to conform to extra if wanted.

“I really like this film,” O’Brien mentioned of Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. “It is Clint Eastwood, it is you, it is George Kennedy, it is an awesome f****** film and I really like that film. And also you popped a lot.”

Newsweek reached out to Bridges’ crew for added remark.

Bridges grew up in a well-known family. His father, Lloyd Bridges, was greatest recognized for his function as Mike Nelson within the Nineteen Fifties sequence Sea Hunt, and his mother, Dorothy Bridges, was additionally an actor.

“I grew up with fame, ? My dad was well-known with Sea Hunt,” he mentioned, noting that going into his personal movie profession was “pure” in consequence. “Would not appear something too particular about that to me.”

Whereas reflecting additional on his profession, the Emmy Award nominee praised a particular reward his spouse, Susan Geston, gave him.

“As I take into consideration the flicks, I am so lucky to have found this digital camera, this Widelux digital camera that my spouse gave me on our first anniversary,” he mentioned on the podcast. The couple wed in 1977.

“I’ve taken footage whereas doing the flicks, and I take a look at these books and so they’re like little lifetimes, ? I bear in mind all of these intense relationships after which poof—it is gone.”