Bridges: Grandpa would've loved race role

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- American actor Jeff Bridges says his grandfather -- an ardent race fan -- would have been thrilled by his work in the film "Seabiscuit."

"I'm not much of a fan myself, but I used to, as a teenager, I'd bring my grandfather (to the track) three or four times a week," he said in California recently.

"He was a big, big race fan, and as a matter of fact, what led me to this part in the movie in the first place was that my cousin read the book when it first came out three or four years ago ... called me up and said, 'You've got to play this part, Charles Howard, in this book,' and I said, 'Yeah, well maybe one day.'

"She said, 'No, I'm not kidding. Our grandfather, he'll be shining his spirit on this whole film. You've got to do this,' and so, it was really thrilling for me to call her up years later and say, 'Well, your prophecy came true. I'm doing the part and our grandfather probably is smiling.'"

"Seabiscuit," about a Depression-era racehorse that beat all the odds, was out on video and DVD Tuesday.