If you haven’t heard, actor Richard Dreyfuss supposedly caused chaos after some of his remarks during a recent $300 a head film screening of “Jaws”. Dreyfuss, who played Hooper in the film, appeared at a weekend screening of the Spielberg classic at The Cabot Theater in Beverly, Massachusetts. The event also included a Q&A session with the Oscar-winning actor.
Apparently, Dreyfuss made a series of remarks that some attendees found offensive, with a few calling Dreyfuss’ comments "homophobic" and "misogynistic." The Cabot had to quickly release a statement, denouncing Dreyfuss' comments, saying that the actor’s views do not "reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold as an organization."
And yet, one of the few videos available online of the event has Dreyfuss being heavily cheered by the crowd near the end of the Q&A. Where’s the part where everyone was offended? All I’m hearing are people screaming “Thank you, Richard!” and “What about Bob?” I'm sure reports of walkouts are true, but was this event really that polarizing?
For some reason. this story blew up the internet, with hundreds of articles written about the “scandalous” event. I guess journalists were short on stories this weekend. Dreyfuss hasn’t been in a “relevant” film since 2010’s “Piranha 3D,” does this even matter all that much?
Dreyfuss began his Q&A session at The Cabot appearing onstage in a blue dress with Taylor Swift’s "Love Story" playing in the background. He then went on to talk about Barbara Streisand, the #MeToo movement and transgender youth.
Some first-hand account claim that Dreyfuss said society, “Shouldn't be listening to some 10-year-old who says they want to be a boy instead of a girl.”
When referencing teenagers transitioning, Dreyfuss said, “It’s not OK because when the kid’s 15, she’s going to say, ‘I’m an octopus.'”
At another point during his Cabot show, Dreyfuss said: “We’re so fragile that we can’t have our feelings hurt. We don’t know how to stand up and bop the bully in the face.”
A video that’s emerged, on YouTube, shows Dreyfuss talking about a book he published in 2022. “Why don’t you tell us about your new book?” the moderator says. “It’s called ‘One Thought Scares Me,'” Dreyfuss answers, “And it’s about how 50 years ago, without telling anyone, they took civics out of the curriculum. Which means we have no knowledge of who the hell we are.” Applause can be heard from those in attendance.
Some attendees later took to social media to criticize Dreyfuss' comments.
"This was disgusting. How could The Cabot not have vetted his act better," Cheri Ziegra wrote on Facebook. "Apparently (I found out too late), he has a reputation for spewing this kind of racist, homophobic, misogynistic bullcrap. … We did NOT get what we paid for (which we all assumed would be a light, fun evening listening to stories and anecdotes about RD’s time on the Vineyard making 'Jaws.') This was offensive and we demand a refund."
"We walked out of his interview tonight along with hundreds of others because of his racist, homophobic (and) misogynistic rant," Lisa Howe commented, seemingly referencing Dreyfuss.
The actor was recently involved in another controversy. Last May, he had admitted that the Oscars’ diversity rules, to make films eligible for Best Picture, “make me want to vomit.”
Remember when, back in August, we learned “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” would be playing in only around 350 U.S. theaters, "maybe fewer"? Well, it's fewer. A lot fewer.