Philip Seymour Hoffman's priest remembers tragic actor as a 'lovely person' who was 'fun to be with'

The priest who presided over Hoffman's funeral mass said he was a down to earth man and was born to act 

Philip Seymour Hoffman's priest will remember him as a "lovely person."
Fr. James Martin S.J., who helped the late actor prepare for his role as Father Flynn in the 2008 movie 'Doubt' and presided over his funeral mass at Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola in New York on Friday, following his death from an apparent heroin overdose last Sunday, says the actor was "very down-to-earth" and "fun to be with."

The Jesuit priest told PEOPLE.com: "He was a lovely person, very down-to-earth. I learned about humility from him. He never put on airs. Whenever he talked about being in a movie, he would just say, 'Yeah, I got this job.' He would never say, 'I'm the lead.' Or 'I'm starring in 'Capote.' ' Then I'd read about it in the papers and learn what it was."

The duo, who first met in 2003, spent a lot of time in the church together when the priest taught the Oscar-winner how to celebrate mass for his role in 'Doubt'.
He added: "He was really fun to be with. He was so intent on getting everything right. I remember he asked if a priest would have 3 x 5 cards during a homily. Small details. He listened to what I had to say, but he also knew his craft. When you watched him act, you got a sense of what the word 'vocation' really means. He was born to do this."
The actor's family members, including his estranged partner, Mimi O'Donnell, and their three children, Cooper, 10, Tallulah, seven, and Willa, five, were among the 400 mourners at his funeral mass.
Many of his famous friends, including Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett, also attended the ceremony.
Cate was one of the first to arrive for the service, along with actor Josh Charles.
Others glimpsed in the crowd included Ethan Hawke, Ellen Burstyn, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Joaquin Phoenix, Mary Louise Parker and Chris Rock.
Media lined the street outside the church, but were kept back behind a police barricade.
Flashbulbs went off as Hoffman’s casket was carried into the church.
An initial autopsy on the actor was inconclusive , but further tests are taking place to determine the 46-year-old’s cause of death.

Hoffman was found dead in his Greenwich village apartment on Sunday morning from a suspected drugs overdose.




Rest in Peace, Philip Seymour Hoffman!