“Jaws” star Richard Dreyfuss has a lot to say.
Richard Dreyfuss loves Hollywood, but he doesn’t like the Academy of Motion Pictures’ new diversity rules for Oscar nominations. When host Margaret Hoover inquired if he agreed with the guidelines, the star had a caustic response.
Interview
I’ll paraphrase what Hoover said here:
“As of 2024, movies must adhere to new inclusion requirements to be considered for the Academy Awards’ best picture category.”
“They must have a specified percentage of underrepresented racial or ethnic actors and crew. What do you think of the new film inclusion guidelines?”
Dreyfuss claimed they made him vomit.
Richard Dreyfuss on Hollywood’s new "inclusivity standards":
"They make me vomit.” pic.twitter.com/ljsKxN9HFK
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 7, 2023
The PBS anchor must have nearly had a heart attack—a Hollywood actor opposing wokeness? Unheard of!
Dreyfuss continued.
As an artist, he claimed, one should tell him that he must submit to the newest, most up-to-date definition of morality. He questioned what we risk. Will we hurt people? You can’t regulate that.
He said he’s sorry, but he doesn’t think there’s a minority or majority in the nation as a whole that needs to be catered to.
The New Rules
The 2025 Oscars will require best picture nominees to achieve two of four criteria.
The film must have at least one lead character from “an underrepresented ethnic or racial group,” 30% of the broad collection cast be from at least two underrepresented categories (women, racial-ethnic, LGBTQ+, or individuals with disabilities), or revolve around one of those groups.
Dreyfuss then questioned the unquestionable—that blackface is always wrong. No, the actor contends.
The last white actor to portray Othello, according to him, was Lawrence Olivier, who did so in 1965, in blackface, no less. He played black men well.
[Richard] Dreyfuss continued: “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 the Merchant of Venice? Are we crazy? Do we not know that art is art?”
Further evidence that the ongoing… pic.twitter.com/NRe18AWu3N
— Sean Bw Parker (@seanbwparker) May 7, 2023
He questioned whether he would ever get the chance to play a black man and if there were any other racial limitations, such as whether a non-Jewish man could play the Merchant of Venice.
It’s not the first time Dreyfuss has veered from the ultra-liberal Hollywood norm; in fact, he gave up acting to concentrate on inspiring people to “see America” once more.
In “One Thought Scares Me,” he argues removing civics from education harms our national identity. He recently lamented Americans’ constitutional ignorance on “The Rubin Report.”
It’s rare to see a Hollywood personality speak so strongly about these topics and not just parrot progressives and far-left Democrats. Dreyfuss doesn’t have to worry about being canceled because of his renowned career.
This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.
