What did Richard Dreyfuss say? Blackface comments spark racist accusations against Jaws actor

Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss has come under fire for making racist remarks in a recent interview with Firing Line host Margaret Hoover on PBS. The video was released on Friday, May 5, and the clip with Richard’s comment on Blackface has since gone viral, gaining the attention of netizens.

During the interview, Margaret Hoover asked the Jaws actor about his opinion on the inclusivity requirements for Oscar-nominated films that would soon be implemented in 2024.

Richard Dreyfuss criticizes new benchmarks set by the Academy. (Image via Twitter/@MiaMarieMacy)

The Academy first announced the inclusivity standards in 2020 after years of being criticized for its overwhelmingly white nominees and winners. The rules will be applied only to the Best Picture category, where movies must reach certain benchmarks to qualify for consideration.

All films are required to meet two out of four benchmarks in crew inclusivity, onscreen representation, marketing representation, or internship opportunities. However, Richard Dreyfuss said that these standards make him vomit.

Richard also defended the 1965 dramatization of Shakespeare’s Othello, where Laurence Oliver, a white actor, played the protagonist who was originally a person of color. The film faced controversy due to Oliver featuring heavy blackface to fit the role of Othello.

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Richard Dreyfuss says if he cannot play a Black man, then it is "patronizing"

Although the prime focus of the interview was Richard’s advocacy for civics education in public schools, his comments about the new inclusivity requirements earned him severe criticism. Richard told Margaret Hoover:

“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…You have to let life be life. I’m sorry, I don’t think there is a minority or majority in the country that has to be catered to like that.”

During the interview, Richard Dreyfuss also expressed his disagreement with the perception that certain roles can only be played by actors who have aligned identities with the characters, for instance, an Asian character being portrayed by an Asian actor.

Richard then used the extreme example of Stuart Burge’s Othello (1965) where Laurence Oliver put on excessive blackface makeup to play the titular character. Despite the film being well-received by the audience at the time and Laurence Oliver receiving an Academy Awards nomination for his performance, his portrayal of Othello also attracted criticism.

Referring to Oliver, Richard Dreyfuss said in the Firing Line interview:

“He played a Black man brilliantly. Am I being told that I will never have a chance to play a Black man?,” Is someone else being told that if they’re not Jewish, they shouldn’t play [in] ‘The Merchant of Venice’? Are we crazy? This is so patronizing. It’s so thoughtless and treating people like children.”

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Internet calls out Richard Dreyfuss for his racist remarks

A short clip from Richard's interview with Margaret Hoover, containing the actor's perception of inclusivity and race, was shared on social media that sparked the backlash. Many were upset that an actor whom they have admired watching in films turned out to be racist.

Some even pointed out that Richard Dreyfuss was never seen acting alongside a Black actor in movies.

Aside from his recent racist comments, Richard Dreyfuss, who won an Oscar for The Goodbye Girl (1977), was accused of s**ual harassment by writer Jessica Teicht in 2017, who worked with the actor on Funny, You Don’t Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville, the 1987 ABC Comedy Special. Jessica alleged that Richard harassed her for months during the production of the show and even exposed himself to her without her consent.

The actor denied the harassment allegations but admitted that he had flirted with Jessica repeatedly and had tried to kiss her, which he thought was a part of a “consensual seduction”.