Dustin Hoffman recalls 'terrible experience' filming The Graduate

Dustin Hoffman has described filming The Graduate as a “terrible experience”, revealing he was slapped 27 times for a scene director Mike Nichols ultimately discarded. According to The Guardian ^[1], the 89-year-old actor detailed his anxiety and physical toll in his upcoming memoir, Look at Me, co-written with Ariel Levy.

Hoffman felt “immediately uncomfortable, unworthy” playing Ben Braddock, a role he believed required the “ultimate Wasp” persona rather than his own Jewish background. The Independent reported ^[2] that Hoffman initially didn’t even want to try out for the part, believing he was “all wrong” for the affluent, all-American character.

While Nichols had spent two years casting the lead, having considered Robert Redford, Hoffman recalls the director’s behaviour on set shifting from collaborative to “frequently sour”. Hoffman wrote that Nichols displayed a “certain sadism” toward him. This manifested in the famous rain-drenched bedroom scene, where co-star Katharine Ross was instructed to hit Hoffman harder and harder across 27 takes. Hoffman, worried about his ear, told Ross, “Just don’t hit my ear.” She missed a few times, leaving him dizzy by day’s end.

The next day, the physical strain continued during an underwater scene. The Guardian noted ^[1] that Hoffman punctured an eardrum due to the combination of previous slapping and water pressure in the scuba suit. “Blood trickled out of my ear,” he recalled. The Independent confirmed ^[2] that the director did not use the slap footage in the final cut, adding insult to injury.

Hoffman also recalled co-star Anne Bancroft fainting during a hot scene and requiring oxygen, while he himself ran until he feared passing out. Despite the hardship, The Graduate won Best Director at the 40th Academy Awards. Hoffman now reflects that Nichols, a Jewish immigrant himself, may have been using Hoffman as a “stand-in” to process his own self-loathing. The memoir is set for release on 10 November.