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– Dustin Hoffman in 1971
Interview by Milton Hoffman from the Pacifica Radio Archives
Listening to this interview tape, we were drawn to this idea of the struggles that pop up between different generations and the questions one confronts internally as he or she gets older.
Enjoy. Here’s Dustin Hoffman like you’ve rarely heard him before.
Hear more from this rare interview: http://blankonblank.org/dustin
We came across this rarely heard interview with Dustin Hoffman recorded in 1971. It’s such a thoughtful, unrushed conversation from a Hollywood icon when he was just a few years into becoming a star. He was still catching his breath and asking the questions that so many of us wonder when professional careers and a family life are beginning to take shape.
Even though Hoffman was only 33 at the time of the interview, he said Hollywood already viewed as an old timer, part of the establishment. This despite the fact The Graduate, Hoffman’s breakout film, had been released a few years earlier. That was followed up by his role as Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy — the X-rated film that won an oscar for best picture.
CHOICE QUOTES
“When I was an adolescent it was a very, very painful time for me. I had a lot of trouble in school.”
“I grew up on the coattails of an aggressive society. I carried a knife taped to my leg. I never used it, but it was there”
“when I was an adolescent it was a very, very painful time for me. I had a lot of trouble in school.”
“‘I’m walking here. I’m walking here.’ That wasn’t in the script. That was an accident. We were walking across the street, and a cab came by and threatened to ruin the shot. At that moment, I was not Ratso, I was just myself trying to save the scene.”
“I’ve tried to bring out unattractive aspects of me in roles that I’ve played, and sometimes achieved that. I can’t apologize for anything I’ve done.”
“I’ve just been around three years. I’m thought of as a veteran. I’m no longer a newcomer. I’m kind of establishment I guess.”