Entertainment

Actor Richard Dreyfuss slammed for sexist, homophobic comments

Sentinel Digital Desk

A movie theatre in Massachusetts apologized after hosting Jaws actor Richard Dreyfuss over the weekend as he made homophobic and sexist comments. Richard was attending a screening of his film Jaws at the theatre when he made some controversial remarks.  The screening was titled “An Evening With Richard Dreyfuss + Jaws Screening”. While the attendees were expecting some anecdotes from the film  and the actor’s own experiences, he engaged in sexist comments much to the dislike of all.

Fans were disappointed with Richard’s conduct at the Jaws screening. Instead of talking about the filming experience of the classic Steven Spielberg action blockbuster, fans said that he spoke about Barbra Streisand and gave his opinion on trans youth, and the Academy Awards’ inclusion rules among other things.

After the event was over, attendees took to social media to slam the actor for his conduct and insensitive remarks. Some even walked out of the event. One fan wrote on X, “Came here to see if Richard Dreyfuss had been cancelled tonight after appearing at #TheCabot in Beverly.”

Another wrote that the evening should have instead been titled, “An Evening of Misogyny and Homophobia With Richard Dreyfuss. Disappointing doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

Another attendee wrote on Facebook, “We walked out of his interview tonight along with hundreds of others because of his racist homophobic misogynistic rant.”

Here’s a snippet of what Richard Dreyfuss said: “It’s about the fact that 50 years ago, without telling anybody, they took civics out of the curriculum of all public schools in America, which means we have no knowledge of who the hell we are. And if we don’t get it back soon, we’re all going to die. Make sure your kids are not the last generation of Americans. And you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

A day after the event, the theatre apologised to its attendees for Richard’s remarks. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the theatre said, “We are aware of, and share serious concerns, following the recent event with Richard Dreyfuss prior to a screening of the film Jaws at The Cabot. The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold as an organisation. We deeply regret the distress that this has caused to many of our patrons.”

“We regret that an event that was meant to be a conversation to celebrate an iconic movie instead became a platform for political views.

“We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for the discomfort it caused to many patrons.” (Agencies)

Also Read: Pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant underway

Also Watch: