Entertainment
Theatre apologises over Richard Dreyfuss’ ‘off the rails’ anti-LGBTQ+ and Me Too rant at Jaws screening-Danni Scott-Entertainment – Metro
They ‘deeply regret’ his comments.
Richard Dreyfuss reportedly shocked the audience with his comments (Picture: Getty Images)
A Jaws screening has left fans furious after actor Richard Dreyfuss reportedly launched into a rant against the MeToo movement and LGBTQ+ rights.
This comes after he criticised diversity rulings at the Oscars last year saying it made him want to ‘vomit’.
The Cabot Theatre, in Massachusetts, reportedly sent out an apology email which was shared by curious fans on X wondering what had occurred.
In it the theatre expressed ‘deep regret’ at comments made by the Close Encounters of the Third Kind actor, adding they were ‘not in line with values of inclusivity’ held by the company.
Footage has emerged of the moment Dreyfuss walked on stage in a dress and danced to Taylor Swift’s Love Story before tearing it off.
According to Reddit, Instagram, and X users claiming to have been at the event, Dreyfuss began berating the MeToo movement and stated ‘women shouldn’t have power’.
The Jaws actor has been known for making controversial statements over the years (Picture: WireImage)
When the 76-year-old actor received backlash from the audience, he allegedly said: ‘Oh you going to be one of those ugly crowds now?’
X user @kleemcadams posted a supposed conversation with their family, stating: ‘My girlfriend’s parents were there, here’s what they said lol.’
According to the text, Dreyfuss ‘went off the rails’ and began talking about Barbra Streisand — his co-star from Nuts (1987).
He apparently said she ‘is a genius’ but ‘he didn’t listen to her because she is a woman and women shouldn’t have that power.’
The post continued: ‘Then [he] started sharing his views on the MeToo movement and started down the road of how you shouldn’t be listening to some 10 year old who says they want to be a boy instead of a girl.
‘The crowd was shouting at him and most walked out before the movie even started. Talk about the movie… we never made it to that.’
They added: ‘Steven Spielberg is a genius but an idiot and close encounters only worked because he convinced Spielberg to hire him instead of Gene Hackman for the part.’
Dreyfuss (L) famously starred in classic 1975 horror Jaws (Picture: Rex Features)
In the Instagram comments for The Cabot, Oliver said: ‘He was rightfully met with boos and people walking out.’
In the r/Jaws subreddit, user ConstructionPitiful9 shared: ‘From what i remember he touched on being anti trans and letting kids transition, then was asked what he thought on me too and said it made him throw up.
‘I will say though, I thought it was strange the interviewer was egging him on and kept asking questions of the nature for a bit instead of shutting it down.’
The statement from the Cabot Theatre read: ‘Dear Cabot Patrons, I am writing to address an important matter concerning last night’s event with Richard Dreyfuss at The Cabot.
‘We deeply regret that Mr. Dreyfuss’s comments during the event were not in line with the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold at The Cabot. We understand that his remarks were distressing and offensive to many of our community members, and for that, we sincerely apologize.
‘At The Cabot, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of our community. The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect our beliefs, and we do not endorse them in any way.
‘We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for any discomfort it caused. We are taking immediate steps to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.
Dreyfuss (r) alongside Jaws co-stars Robert Shaw (l) and Roy Scheider (Picture: Rex Features)
The theatre apologised on Dreyfuss’ behalf (Picture: Getty Images)
‘This includes more rigorous vetting of our event participants and more proactive communication strategies to keep our audience informed.’
This is not the first time Dreyfuss has said something controversial as he told PBS’s Firing Line host Margaret Hoover inclusivity rules at the Oscars ‘make [him] vomit’.
Dreyfuss went on: ‘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.’
He then praised Laurence Olivier as ‘the last white actor to play Othello’, stating: ‘He did it in 1965. And he did it in blackface. And he played a black man brilliantly.’
In 2020 he hit out at MeToo, saying he did not welcome it ‘at the cost of the loss of due process’.
‘Unfortunately, it became immediately equating an accusation being heard as a verdict,’ Dreyfuss claimed.
‘Women have been abused by men for millennia, but it’s not something that’s going to be solved by committing an equal or worse crime, which is kicking process into the ocean.’
Metro.co.uk has reached out to reps for Dreyfuss and The Cabot for comment.
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