'Happyish' creator: Philip Seymour Hoffman 'had the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met'

Jewish author and creator Shalom Auslander says "he was a beautiful person in a hideous world."

By JTA
A photo of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is pictured as part of a makeshift memorial in front of his apartment building in New York February 3, 2014. (photo credit: REUTERS)
A photo of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is pictured as part of a makeshift memorial in front of his apartment building in New York February 3, 2014.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Many who have worked with—or even just admired—the incredible talent that was Philip Seymour Hoffman have shared their memories of the actor, who died on Sunday of an apparent drug overdose at 46. Among them is Shalom Auslander, author and creator of the Showtime series “Happyish” in which Hoffman had a lead role.
“This planet is no damned place to have a heart, and Phil had the biggest, brokenest heart of anyone I have ever met,” Auslander said, according to The Wrap. “He was a beautiful person in a hideous world. Great actor, too.”
In “Happyish” Hoffman plays Thom Payne, described by Showtime president David Nevins as “a successful but self-loathing creative director at a New York ad agency.” The series co-stars Kathryn Hahn and Rhys Ifans. Only the pilot has been shot, and Hoffman’s death has left the future of the project unknown.