Almost 60 years after the release of The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman has revealed in an excerpt for The New Yorker that making the 1967 film was a terrible experience. Writing in his upcoming memoir Look at Me, out November 10, the actor stated that director Mike Nichols subjected him to difficult conditions and erratic moods, leaving him feeling immediately uncomfortable and unworthy in the role of Benjamin Braddock.
What You Need to Know About the Memoir Release
- Dustin Hoffman described making the 1967 classic The Graduate as a terrible experience that exacerbated all his initial insecurities.
- The actor wrote in his memoir that director Mike Nichols shifted from wonderful during rehearsals to frequently sour and difficult during filming.
- The upcoming book, co-written with Ariel Levy and titled Look at Me, is scheduled for publication on November 10.
Casting the Ultimate Wasp with a Jewish Lead
Hoffman was a successful theatre actor when Nichols expressed interest in him for the landmark film. The director had spent nearly two years casting the lead role, considering actors such as Robert Redford before hiring Hoffman alongside Katharine Ross as Elaine Robinson. Hoffman admitted he felt like he had no right to be there, noting he was a Jewish actor playing the ultimate Wasp.
Before filming even began, hair and makeup sessions underscored these insecurities. According to coverage from The Daily Beast, Nichols instructed staff to alter Hoffman’s appearance by asking whether people could do something with his eyebrows and commenting on the shape of his nose. Hoffman recalled thinking that the crew was trying to take the Jew off his face.
On-Set Friction and Physical Toll During Production
Once cameras started rolling, Nichols’ demeanor changed drastically. Hoffman described the director as frequently sour and difficult to read compared to his warm approach during rehearsals. This shift created constant anxiety, with the actor frequently feeling he was about to be fired.
The physical demands of the shoot compounded the psychological strain. Hoffman recalled doing 27 takes for a scene where Ross had to slap him, leaving him dizzy by the end of the day. Between the slapping and water pressure at the bottom of a pool, he punctured an eardrum. Co-star Anne Bancroft also faced grueling conditions, fainting on a hot day and requiring oxygen resuscitation, while Hoffman recalled lying down in the grass in front of a church because he thought he was going to lose consciousness.
| Production Milestone | Details Reported in Memoir |
|---|---|
| Original Release Date | December 22, 1967 |
| Academy Recognition | Nominated for seven Oscars; Mike Nichols won Best Director |
| Memoir Publication | Scheduled for November 10 |
Reflecting on Nichols and the Legacy of the Film
Hoffman ultimately came to view the iconic film as a self-portrait of Nichols, who had arrived in the US from Germany as a young Jewish boy in 1939. Hoffman suggested that Benjamin Braddock served as an alter ego for the director, making the actor a stand-in meant to absorb Nichols’ own self-loathing.
“The whole time, I felt Mike was angry at me, either because I was doing something wrong or because he had realized what everybody else already knew, that he had miscast the lead in his film,” Hoffman wrote.
