Richard Dreyfuss is one of the most recognizable actors in the history of cinema. Starring roles in films like “Jaws” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” will forever cement him as one of the best of his era. Unfortunately, that era has come and gone, and it would appear that Richard Dreyfuss is no fan of where the future of cinema is going, especially when it comes to inclusion and diversity.
In a new interview with on the PBS show, “Firing Line with Margaret Hoover,” Richard Dreyfuss is asked about the sweeping new changes to the eligibility requirements for the Academy Awards. Particularly, there are massive changes to the Best Picture eligibility beginning in 2024, with films having to meet multiple requirements when it comes to diversity, inclusion, themes, and narrative, in an effort to help diversify the industry. Generally, these are seen as good things, as the industry has been shown to be racist and not very friendly to LGBTQ folks. But like anything nowadays, when you start to make rules about diversity and inclusivity, it becomes a very polarizing topic. And that means you have legends like Richard Dreyfuss upset that he can’t play a Black man if he wants to.
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When asked about the new Academy rules, Dreyfuss started off by saying, “They make me vomit.”
“It’s an art form,” he added. “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. What are we risking? Are we really risking hurting people’s feelings? You can’t legislate that. You have to let life be life. I’m sorry, I don’t think there is a minority or majority in the country that has to be catered to like that.”
When the topic came around to something more specific, such as the idea of a white man playing a Black person and putting on blackface, Dreyfuss remained defiant. Even when it came to one of the most famous examples in film, Laurence Olivier’s performance in “Othello,” Dreyfuss believes that everyone should be able to play anyone, and if he wants to play a Black person, he should have that chance.
“He played a Black man brilliantly,” said Dreyfuss about Olivier. “Am I being told that 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 [in] ‘The Merchant of Venice?’ Are we crazy? Do we not know that art is art? This is so patronizing. It’s so thoughtless and treating people like children.”
The idea that a white man in 2023 is actually putting forth the idea that he should be able to use blackface in a major motion picture is shocking. It really is. However, it must be said that no one is telling Richard Dreyfuss that he can’t play a Black man in a film. The new rules at the Academy just prevent him from winning an Oscar for it. So, if he’s so passionate about being a Black person on screen, go right ahead. But also understand the consequences.
You can see his whole discussion about the topic below: