Dustin Hoffman Reveals 'The Graduate' Filming Was a 'Terrible Experience' Marked by Director Mike Nichols' Harsh Tactics — TV and streaming

In a recent essay for The New Yorker, Dustin Hoffman describes the production of the 1967 classic 'The Graduate' as a deeply unsettling ordeal. He details his severe imposter syndrome and recounts how director Mike Nichols subjected him to excessive takes, including making Katharine Ross slap him 27 times for a scene that was ultimately cut from the film.

Dustin Hoffman has opened up about the difficult conditions behind the scenes of 'The Graduate,' the 1967 comedy-drama that launched his career. In a recent essay published in The New Yorker, the actor described the production as a "terrible experience," despite acknowledging that the film fundamentally changed his life. Hoffman wrote that he felt immediately uncomfortable and unworthy while working with Mike Nichols, who was considered the director of the moment at the time.

Much of Hoffman's anxiety stemmed from a fear that Nichols was angry with him or had realized he had miscast the lead role. He noted that the film exacerbated his insecurities from the very beginning. When his agent first suggested he try out for the part, Hoffman was reluctant because he felt he was entirely wrong for the character of Benjamin Braddock. He pointed out that the source material by Charles Webb depicted an affluent, all-American track star and debate team leader, whereas he saw himself as too ethnic to play the ultimate WASP character.

Beyond his personal doubts about his casting, Hoffman described Nichols as frequently sour on set, a shocking change from the director's demeanor during rehearsals. He often felt on the verge of being fired and admitted that while shooting some of the film's most famous sequences, he had no idea what he was doing. While the director was irritable with everyone, Hoffman noted a certain sadism that seemed to target him specifically.

One particularly grueling incident involved a scene where Katharine Ross had to slap his character. Nichols insisted on 27 takes, repeatedly instructing Ross to hit him harder. Although Ross worried about injuring him, Hoffman told her not to hit his ear. By the end of the day, he was dizzy, and the director did not use the slap in the final cut of the movie. The following day, while filming an underwater scene in a scuba suit, Hoffman surfaced with blood trickling from his ear. He attributed the punctured eardrum to the combination of the previous day's slapping and the water pressure at the bottom of the pool.

'The Graduate' was released in theaters on December 22, 1967. The film received seven Oscar nominations and won the award for Best Picture at the 40th Academy Awards.

Sources: Variety.