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Dustin Hoffman reveals he was slapped 27 times until he was dizzy for a Graduate scene Mike Nichols NEVER used

Dustin Hoffman, 89, who writes in his memoir Look at Me that he felt immediate self-doubt on the set of The Graduate, believing he had no right to be there as a Jewish actor playing what he called 'the ultimate Wasp'.
Dustin Hoffman, 89, who writes in his memoir Look at Me that he felt immediate self-doubt on the set of The Graduate, believing he had no right to be there as a Jewish actor playing what he called 'the ultimate Wasp'.

Dustin Hoffman, 89, has published a memoir essay revealing that director Mike Nichols subjected him to relentless psychological pressure throughout the 1967 shoot, leaving him convinced he was about to be fired. Hoffman wrote that Nichols became "an entirely different person" once cameras rolled, shifting from warm to "frequently sour" in ways that kept the actor "in a state of constant anxiety". The memoir, 'Look at Me', co-written with Ariel Levy, draws on an excerpt published by the New Yorker.

Hoffman felt so out of place playing 'the ultimate Wasp' that he almost refused the role, telling his agent he had no right to be there.

After the slapping ordeal, Hoffman punctured an eardrum the following day during an underwater pool sequence, leaving blood trickling from his ear.

Despite calling it 'a terrible experience', Hoffman concludes Nichols used 'The Graduate' as a self-portrait to absorb his own self-loathing.

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