Academy Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss has played characters that confronted and overcame notable foes — deep space monsters, unemployment, killer sharks, underfunded arts programs in schools and more. Recently, he has set his sights on confronting what he views as a growing problem and existential threat to Hollywood and American culture — woke “inclusion.”
Dreyfuss shared his thoughts on the matter during an interview on PBS’ “Firing Line.” Dreyfuss responded to a request by host Margaret Hoover to comment on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ new “Representation and Inclusion Standards” for the Best Picture category.
The new standards, set to begin in 2024, require “major participation” by “underrepresented groups,” according to The Western Journal.
Dreyfuss clearly expressed his strong disapproval of the new rules — saying they were tantamount to virtue-signaling.
“They make me vomit,” the actor said. “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 … Are we really risking hurting people’s feelings? You can’t legislate that.”
Dreyfuss continued: “You have to let life be life. And I’m sorry, I don’t think there’s a minority or a majority in the country that has to be catered to like that.”
The actor believes securing roles should be based on talent, not race or ideology. “Am I being told 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 ‘The Merchant of Venice?’ Dreyfuss asked rhetorically.
“Are we crazy? Do we not know that art is art? This is so patronizing. It’s so thoughtless and treating people like children,” Dreyfuss argued.
Some on the left criticized Dreyfuss for his comments, but the notable actor, 75, received ample support on Twitter. The Western Journal captured a few in their report:
Some worry that Dreyfuss entered into forbidden waters when he criticized the Academy and will not work again. Others believe that his unscripted words to Hoover were some of his best lines — and exactly what Hollywood needed to hear.
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