Jeff Bridges really is that chill. Within minutes of our meeting for the first time, he is recommending meditative breathing techniques and calling me by the name I reserve for close friends. And by the time he's left our "Salon Talks" interview, I've also received a big, encompassing hug, because he's a hugger.

Though he has played psychopaths and Marvel villains, there's every good reason to understand why Bridges' most iconic role is as The Dude in "The Big Lebowski." It's because no one else could have embodied a character with such a convincing level of easygoing wonderment, and done so with Bridges' seemingly effortless commitment and precision. "That movie has bloomed in beautiful, beautiful ways," he says.

Now, after enduring non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a life-threatening bout of Covid, and a few entertainment industry strikes, Bridges is back at last for the second season in his Emmy-nominated role as resourceful, brutal former CIA agent Dan Chase in FX's "The Old Man." The Academy Award winner dropped by Salon's studio to talk about doing action scenes in his 70s, carrying the mantle of Dude for Kamala, and how recovering from his health scare got him to "fire up the old man again." The secret to his survival, in health and in Hollywood? "The L word, love," he says with a chuckle. "That corny thing."

This conversation has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

It's been more than two years since the last season of "The Old Man" and we pick up right where it left off. For those who need a refresher, where are we with Dan and his journey?

[My character] Dan finally gets together with John Lithgow's character, Harold, and they're off to Afghanistan to find their daughter. We left season one with him walking from the airport to the plane, and we open up and they're in Afghanistan, and the adventure begins.

This is a high-energy project for you "old dudes." I want to ask what that feels like for you. This is physically demanding, this is travel, it's intense. What do you do to prepare for a role like this?

Well, work out, do a little training so you can do some of the stuff that's required, which is a lot of fighting. Fortunately, we have Tim Connolly as our stunt coordinator and he's just so great to work with. Also, Tommy DuPont, my stunt guy who we've worked with in several pictures together. The basic assignment for a fight scene is like any other scene that you're doing where you want it to be interesting, but at the same time look very real and like it's happening just for the first time. In a dramatic scene, that's what you're going for, and that's what you're going for in a fight scene. Everything we're doing is an illusion. We're pretending, right? But we want it to seem as real as possible. To make that illusion, you practice, you figure it out. It's like a dance routine. You work it out and then you make it seem like it's happening for the first time after all of that work.

This is really the little show that could, because you began production in 2019. It gets shut down for COVID. Then you unfortunately get diagnosed with cancer. You get diagnosed with COVID. Then there's the strikes. In terms of keeping the momentum for yourself, physically, mentally, emotionally, staying true to this arc, to these characters, to their story over five years while you're going through the wringer, how do you do it?

Well, it's a good question, and I don't know exactly the answer. Something that pops into my mind is just momentum. We were off for two years, and you come back and you see all the same people and it feels like you just had a long weekend. You pick up where you left off, like muscle memory or something. That was fascinating to go through that experience. But talk about who you're coming back to: Amy Brenneman and........

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