I don’t know if I believe in passion projects, but I do believe in the greatest actor of this generation, Philip Seymour Hoffman. I first saw him in Death of a Salesman, as a high school thespian on a 24 hour trip to New York. His performance was one of the most devastating things I’ve ever seen, pulling me out of my post Joe’s Pizza food slump, and, truly, changing my life. I eventually moved on from becoming an actor, but my love for Phil never waned. He was, by all accounts, the greatest to ever do it; he brought a human touch to even his villainous roles, and a genuine kindness to all others. One of my earliest dreams was that by the time I “made it” as a director, he’d be old and bored enough to maybe, just maybe, act in one of my films.
I was devastated when he passed away.

When I think about what I really love in this world, it’s a short and important list; my wife, my family, Cocio chocolate milk, and movies. And movies never have been, nor will they ever be, the same without Phil. He made movies like they were a gift, so I made him a shirt. Like so many of his performances, it’s a little cheeky, even a little kitschy, but more than anything, straight from the heart.

I think he would have liked it.

(Thank you for all the love, v2 is in the works. If by any chance you’re a designer who also happens to love the greatest actor of the turn of the century, hit me up.)