The “unhinged” 1976 movie Dennis Hopper didn’t need to get into character for: “I was just a bum”

Dennis Hopper starred in *Tracks*, a 1976 film about an unstable Vietnam veteran, and said he felt at home with its material. Though he had never served in a war, the article links his comfort with the role to his turbulent life and his familiarity with personal turmoil.

The role was first written for Jack Nicholson, who was unavailable, so it went to Hopper, with Dean Stockwell playing his friend. Hopper praised the film, saying he would compare it favourably with any of Nicholson’s films from that period, while modestly describing himself as “just a bum”.