Dustin Hoffman claims America is as “divided” now as it was during the Vietnam War
Dustin Hoffman has expressed his opinion on the current political landscape in America, comparing it to what was experienced during the Vietnam War.
The veteran actor is a longstanding supporter of the Democrat Party and has supported various causes over the years, but most recently made his views known during an appearance at a film festival over the weekend.
Hoffman was speaking at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in Czechia on July 4th, where he was honoured with an award during its opening ceremony, and was then speaking ahead of a screening of his classic film, The Graduate.
When asked how the 1967 film can still resonate with young people today, despite the landscape seemingly being so different now to what it was then, he replied (via Variety): “It’s actually the same, because the book by Charles Webb was written in 1964, which was before the Vietnam crisis, which divided America, as it is divided today actually.”
Hoffman added that, in the film, “The parents were coming out of the Great Depression of the 1930s when no one could get a job, and suddenly now, because of the war, they were able to work, and instead of giving themselves, they gave objects, so the generation that was living then was not given love, they were given objects, which you will see at the beginning of the film.”
In terms of how this continues to affect young people of all generations, he continued: “Lastly, I don’t think we know who we are when we are in our early 20s. We want to be who we are when we look in the mirror, because when we see ourselves in the mirror, we change our look. We have a mirror look.”
Describing the process of trying to identify oneself as one that can take years, the 88-year-old added, “I think I’m still trying to find that out,” to laughter from the audience.
Hoffman then opened up on the chance of fate that landed him the role, which has proved to be so important to the rest of his career, as director Mike Nicholas had spent two years looking for his cast and was ready to give up.
“Literally the last day he was going to see people it was my turn and Katharine Ross’ turn. Had we been there two years before, we would not have gotten the role. The people that would have been there the day that we were, they would have gotten the role, and that’s the truth. It’s all luck,” he said.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.