Actor Richard Dreyfus is under fire for delivering a rant that has been described as sexist and transphobic during a screening of the film Jaws.
The 76-year-old actor found fame in the 1970s in Steven Spielberg’s films Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He’s gone on to enjoy a long career with success in Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Mr Holland’s Opus, and The American President.
Fans attending a screening of the classic film were expecting a Q&A with Dreyfus about the making of the film, but the comments he made led to the cinema issuing a public apology.
“The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold as an organization. We deeply regret the distress that this has caused to many of our patrons.” The Cabot theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts said in a statement.
“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.”
Video footage of Dreyfus arriving on the stage shows him appearing in a dress, and attendees said he then went onto mock and criticise transgender youth.
According to The Hollywood Reporter Dreyfus engaged in a “freeform rant” rallying against the Academy Awards inclusion policy, actor Barbra Streisand, the #MeToo movement, transgender youth and gender affirming health care.
Those in attendance at the event quickly headed online to share the outrage at the experience describing the actor’s comments throughout the evening as “homophobic” and “misogynistic”. Many patrons said they had walked out of the event in protest.
