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Richard Dreyfuss could face dire repercussions after his racist and anti-LGBTQ comments as the Jaws screening sparked criticism. The actor, who plays Hooper in the shark thriller Jaws is not new to negative headlines, especially with his political, sociocultural views, and aversion to modern-day “standards of morality” or the Oscars’ diversity requirements.
Richard attended a screening of the Steven Spielberg-directed film at The Cabot Theatre, in Beverly, Massachusetts on Saturday. While appearing in the Q&A session, the Hollywood legend went on a rant, which left many attendees reeking with anger, to the point of walking out mid-way through the interview. But what exactly did Richard Dreyfuss say?
The full content of the interview capturing Richard Dreyfuss’ comments is yet to surface. However, those who witnessed the moment have deemed it “disgusting,” “misogynistic” “racist,” and “homophobic.” Additionally, Richard reportedly made “abhorrent” remarks demeaning women and survivors of sexual violence. The icon began on a hearty note though, thrilling the audience with a dress performance of Taylor Swift’s Love Story. As the interview progressed, the 76-year-old went into various sensitive topics, spanning the #MeToo movement, trans youths and Barbara Streisand.
Richard Dreyfuss Sparks Controversy With Inciteful Comments
Richard Dreyfuss reportedly made comments opposing his select topics, ultimately making a light-hearted Q&A session about the thriller Jaws, into a scandalous political rant. While the interview is yet to go public, some attendees at the Saturday event have taken to social media to vent their outrage.
Although some of these outraged theatregoers have directed their grievance at the Jaws actor, others have targeted The Cabot for giving him an audience despite knowing his history of spewing hateful comments. Cheri Ziegra, who witnessed the rant wrote on Facebook,
“This was disgusting. How could The Cabot not have vetted his act better? 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.”
Another attendee wrote,
“A young family with a 10-year-old daughter had to leave,” recounted another commenter. Dozens of patrons reportedly walked out of the venue.”
A third Facebook user also expressed their grievance, writing,
“We walked out of his interview tonight along with hundreds of others because of his racist, homophobic (and) misogynistic rant.”
The Cabot Apologizes for Poor Judgement Call
Amid the incessant criticism of The Cabot for offering Richard Dreyfuss a platform to spew racist and anti-LGBTQ comments, the performing arts center offered a public apology. In his statement, Cabot executive director J. Casey Soward apologized for not foreseeing Richard Dreyfuss’ tendency to say provocative things. He also expressed regret that an event meant to celebrate an iconic movie “became a platform for political views.” Mr. Soward voiced the cinema’s willingness to take “full responsibility” and utilize the Memorial Day weekend event as a learning experience. He shared,
“We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for the discomfort, it caused to many patrons.”
The Cabot also reached out to attendees via personal emails, apologizing for the “distressing” and “offensive” comments Richard Dreyfuss made. They reassured patrons of their intentions to take immediate steps to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. Given Richard’s outspokenness and history of airing misguided political views, expecting reconciliatory efforts on his part would be too much to ask.
