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Lewis Pullman said that earlier in his acting career, he “felt a lot of pressure to fill” his father Bill Pullman’s shoes
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Once he realized it was “impossible” to follow Bill’s legacy, Lewis found his own voice, he said
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Lewis stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thunderbolts*, in theaters now
Lewis Pullman is thinking about the legacy of his father, Bill Pullman.
The Thunderbolts* star, 32, opened up about following his own path as an actor in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Friday, May 2, the day of the Marvel movie’s release. “In the beginning” of his career, said Lewis, “I felt a lot of pressure to fill his shoes.”
“Once I realized that it was an impossible pair of shoes to fill, I kind of found a sense of relief in knowing that if there was any future for me in film that it would be by doing it my own way and trying to blaze my own trail,” said the Lessons in Chemistry Emmy nominee.
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“That really freed me up in a lot of ways, kind of realizing that I’m very different from [Bill],” Lewis continued. “I don’t have the same strengths that he has … I can find my own voice and my own thing and gave myself permission to do that.”
Eric Charbonneau/Getty
Bill Pullman and Lewis Pullman in 2018
Bill, 71, has starred in such classic films as Spaceballs, Sleepless in Seattle and Independence Day. Speaking to THR, Lewis called himself “lucky” that he loves his father and his acting. “It would be a bummer if he was a bad actor or an a–hole and I had to talk about him all the time, you know, and try and follow that,” he quipped.
“Every set I go to, somebody has worked with my dad and they love him so much,” Lewis added. “It’s a hard reputation to follow, you know, flying in his wake. I’m always reminded of how incredibly generous and kind and talented he is.”
Addressing “what is so undeniably fortunate about nepotism,” he said it’s difficult for aspiring Hollywood actors “to get experience and to find your comfortability within a very bizarre circumstance … It took me so long to get comfortable in front of a camera and to forget that it’s there, and I wouldn’t have gotten that if I didn’t get all these chances to do so.”
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Chuck Zlotnick/MARVEL
(Left-right:) Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, Florence Pugh and Wyatt Russell in ‘Thunderbolts*’
Lewis has opened up in the past about his decision to follow in his father’s footsteps — and how his mother Tamara Hurwitz and Bill supported it. “He was just like ‘Give it a shot. Whatever kaleidoscope you want to look at life through, if it feels good, do it,’ ” the Top Gun: Maverick star told PEOPLE in 2023.
“I quite quickly realized it was incredibly foolish not to utilize this remarkable resource that I had who happened to be my dad,” he said at the time, adding that Bill’s advice proves “pretty invaluable because he knows me so well as a person.”
Related: Bill Pullman’s 3 Kids: All About Maesa, Jack and Lewis
More recently, Lewis told PEOPLE that his dad’s reaction to his mysterious debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — “He was like, ‘There’s a lot to do here’” — counted as more great advice. “He always goes story first, and writing first, and character first.”
Lewis plays Robert “Bob” Reynolds in the Jake Schreier-directed Thunderbolts*, which also stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The movie is in theaters now.
Read the original article on People
