Jeff Bridges Stars in New Environmental Film ‘Living in the Future’s Past’

American actor and producer Jeff Bridges appears in the now-streaming environmental film “Living in the Future’s Past.”

The documentary looks at how human nature and our subconscious behaviors influence the way we interact with the world and in turn, impact our future as a species.

Bridges, known for his appearances in “The Big Lebowksi” and “True Grit,” will produce and narrate the film, according to Vancouver Sun.

Speaking to the publication, the Academy Award-winning actor revealed he has a personal connection to the planet-focused film. Besides his interest in environmentalism, Bridges’ family has suffered at the hands of climate change.

In January 2018, his family home in Montecito, California, was hit by a debris flow caused by the major wildfires that led to de-vegetation and destabilization in surrounding slopes, Vancouver Sun explained. Twenty-one people died, with two still missing, in the Santa Barbara County mudslides. Bridges, his wife and fellow actor Susan, and their dog were airlifted to safety.

Bridges commented, “Like so many folks, I am concerned about our planet and this rapid change that’s happening and I wanted to participate, but I wanted to do something that was going to bring some new information to the party.”

Both Bridges and filmmaker Susan Kucera agreed that they wanted the film to be hard-hitting but not guilt-tripping.

“I didn’t want to make a documentary about pointing fingers at the bad oil people and that kind of thing. Or spotlight all of the terrible findings scientists had found. We’d done enough of that. I wanted to figure out something new, so we got together and talked about it and she felt the same way,” Bridges said.

“One of the things that interested both of us is, why are we behaving this way knowing what all of our top scientists are saying, so we thought we would get into that,” the activist said.

The film also focuses on desire, acknowledging that all animals have desires for comfort and are driven by these, but what sets humans apart is that we can analyze and shift our desires. Kucera adds that the film looks at how we can better manage our impulses, and not “stamp out” desire but redirect it to something positive.

Bridges hopes the documentary will educate people but also inspire them to take action rather than waiting for the “government to get hip to what our scientists are telling us.”

“We’ve got to get on it ourselves,” said Bridges.

He adds that he gets “depressed” about the situation of the planet, asking himself, “Are we ever going to pull ourselves out of this thing considering how we roll as a species?”

“What came to mind that kind of gave me some succour was just again, it’s that word that seems so appropriate — it’s love. That seems to be the goal for all of us, to get to a place where we live on a loving planet where we are taking care of each other,” he said.

“Living in the Future’s Past” will be screened at the Elements Film Festival in Vancouver on April 11 at 7:30 pm.