How Bruce Dern Found Redemption With Alexander Payne in ‘Nebraska’

The actor known for eccentric flourishes landed the role of a lifetime as a taciturn senior convinced he’s won a big sweepstakes prize

J.R. Mankoff

OscarWrap_Race-Begins-2013-coverThis article first appeared in OscarWrap: The Race Begins. See video of the photo shoot below.

After more than 50 years as an actor — years that have included 80-plus movies, dozens of TV shows, Oscar and Emmy nominations and a reputation as one of the classic character actors of his generation — Bruce Dern didn’t exactly think that his career was over. But as he neared his mid-70s a few years ago, he knew it wasn’t flourishing, either.

“You do it for as long as I have, and you figure that, well, the train hasn’t left, but goddamnit, it’s hard to get on,” Dern, sitting on the Paramount lot, told TheWrap.

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