Dustin Hoffman recalls difficulties filming The Graduate

Entertainment · First reported 2 Nov, 20:31 · Updated 21:07

Image: Wikimedia Commons · NASA Johnson Space Center / Jonny Kim · Public domain

In accounts drawn from his forthcoming memoir, Hoffman describes feeling anxious and uncomfortable during the making of The Graduate, while recalling repeated takes and harsh interactions with director Mike Nichols. The film later earned Nichols an Oscar for directing, and Hoffman his first Academy Award nomination.

Hoffman says he felt uncomfortable playing Ben Braddock and anxious about Nichols’s response to his performance.
He recalls demanding repeated takes, including a scene in which Katharine Ross slapped him; he says he later punctured an eardrum filming underwater.
The film brought Nichols an Academy Award for directing and Hoffman his first Oscar nomination.

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Key facts

Film: The Graduate, released in 1967
Hoffman’s role: Benjamin Braddock
Director: Mike Nichols
Memoir: Look at Me; publication date given as Nov. 10
Slapping scene: Hoffman says Ross slapped him during 27 takes; the scene was not used
Injury: Hoffman says he punctured an eardrum while filming an underwater scene