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Noted American actor Richard Dreyfuss has been on the receiving end of stark criticism after his appearance at a special screening event ofJawsat The Cabot Theater in Beverly, Massachusetts. The 76-year-old was the special guest at an “An Evening With Richard Dreyfuss + Jaws Screening” which was held over Memorial Day.
However, hundreds of attendees allegedly walked out of the Q&A session following multiple homophobic, transphobic, and racist comments allegedly made at the event by Dreyfuss. According to social media responses, Dreyfuss allegedly spoke offensively about Barbra Streisand, and criticized the Academy’s rules on inclusivity, before going on a rant against transphobic people ‘affirming their gender.’
The actor, who was last seen inSweetwater,has continued to work in recent years but might get in further trouble considering the kind of responses from fans.
Who is Richard Dreyfuss?
Dreyfuss was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood back during the 1970s and 80s, during which time he featured in a range of superhits. Apart from being the star ofJaws,he was also a part of memorable projects such asAmerican Graffiti, The Goodbye Girl, The Competition,andStand By Me.
The actor, who was born in 1947, spent the majority of his childhood in New York and had an interest in acting right from the start. He won the Academy Award for best actor for his role inThe Goodbye Girlback in 1977,and has also won a range of other awards, including a Golden Globe and a BAFTA.
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Regardless, his Oscar in 1977 meant thatRichard Dreyfussbecame the youngest actor at the time to win the award, at the age of 30. While younger fansmight know the actor majorly forJaws,there are a range of other recent projects he has featured in.
This includes movies such asMurder at Yellowstone City, Astronaut,andThe Last Laugh.Hence, while his prime years came back during the 70s and 80s, Dreyfuss has continued to find regular work in the industry, and is an utterly familiar face for most movie-appreciators.
This is not the first time Richard Dreyfuss has been accused of making problematic statements
It seems as if Dreyfuss has actually been making such problematic statements for quite some time. According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Dreyfuss ended up going on multiple lengthy racist and homophobic rants during the latest event. However, this comes after reports of similar behavior at anotherJawsscreening held by The Cabot last month, in Portsmouth, which also prompted an apology statement from the theater chain itself.
Regardless, last year, Dreyfuss said the following about The Academy’s rules around inclusion:
They make me vomit. No one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give in to the latest, most current idea of what morality is. What are we risking? Are we really risking hurting people’s feelings? You can’t legislate that. You have to let life be life and I’m sorry,
I don’t think there is a minority or majority in the country that has to be catered to like that. This is an art form. It’s also a form of commerce and it makes money, but it’s an art. And no one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give in to the latest, most current idea of what morality is.
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Hence, not only did the actor allegedly make multiple problematic statements, he also defended his take, and claimed that his idea of morality should not be questioned by anyone. Regardless, it would seem as if the repeated statements havefinally caught up with the actor, with the latest event simply serving as another in a long line of controversial statements made by Dreyfuss.
Rishabh Bhatnagar
Editor/Reviewer
Articles Published :315
Rishabh Bhatnagar is an Entertainment and pop culture journalist/editor with Fandom Wire. He has more than 6 years of experience working for multiple major platforms and is himself an avid consumer of worthwhile content. A natural storyteller, Rishabh has a unique way with words and is always looking to improve, as a storyteller, writer, and a journalist.
