Dustin Hoffman is addressing sexual misconduct allegations made against him nearly a decade ago in his new memoir, “Look at Me.”
The 89-year-old actor, who faced allegations from six women in 2017, reflects on his past behavior toward women and the impact the accusations had on his life. Although he does not address the individual allegations directly, Hoffman acknowledges that some of his actions may have made women uncomfortable.
“I’m sure it’s true that in my life, especially forty years ago, I made some women uncomfortable,” Hoffman writes in an excerpt published by People.
“But ‘uncomfortable’ is a subjective emotional state. What is crass and offensive to one person, another individual might find hilarious, or enlivening, or even sort of cozy.”
The two-time Oscar winner also discusses his sense of humor and how others may have interpreted his behavior.
“I love a so-called dirty joke. I am ‘a Borscht Belt flirt,’ as Bill Murray once put it,” Hoffman writes. “That’s not the same thing as pressuring someone to do something they didn’t want to do.”
Dustin Hoffman Says Sexual Misconduct Allegations Changed His Life
Hoffman faced accusations of sexual harassment and assault in 2017 as the #MeToo movement gained attention in Hollywood.
Six women came forward with allegations against the actor, including claims of inappropriate touching, sexual harassment and assault.
Three women spoke to Variety in December 2017 about their alleged encounters with Hoffman. Their accusations included sexual harassment, sexual assault and exposing himself to a minor.
Earlier that year, three other women had made separate allegations.
One woman alleged that Hoffman assaulted her when she was 17 and working as a production assistant on the 1985 production of “Death of a Salesman.” Another woman who worked on the production accused him of groping and assaulting her.
A third woman alleged that Hoffman propositioned her during a pitch meeting.
Hoffman publicly apologized to one accuser at the time. His attorney denied the assault allegations made by two women, describing them as “defamatory falsehoods.”
No criminal charges or lawsuits were filed against Hoffman in connection with the allegations.
In his memoir, Hoffman writes that he initially supported the movement addressing misconduct in Hollywood.
“When a reckoning started making its way around the internet, and tearing through Hollywood, I thought it was a very good thing,” he writes.
“I knew by then that plenty of women had put up with way too much for way too long in my industry. Not for a second did I worry that anything negative would be said about me, because the idea of taking something from someone sexually that they didn’t want to give… it’s just not something I’ve ever done.”
The Oscar Winner Reveals Why He Struggled to Defend Himself
Hoffman compares the public response to the allegations against powerful men to the McCarthy era of the 1950s, when Hollywood figures faced blacklisting over alleged communist associations.
He writes that his “entire life changed” after the allegations surfaced.
“There was no innocent until proven guilty. There was no ‘proving’ anything at all,” Hoffman writes.
The actor also explains why he struggled with how to respond publicly.
“The whole thing was so crazy, I was sort of bewildered by how to defend myself… or if I should even try,” he writes.
“I didn’t want to be fighting against something that I thought was important. I didn’t want to be on the wrong side of my own values. The only problem was that things were being said about me that just weren’t true.”
Dustin Hoffman Credits Wife Lisa With Changing His Perspective
Hoffman also discusses what he learned about his behavior from his wife, Lisa Hoffman, whom he married in 1980.
The actor writes that Lisa helped him understand how women might interpret comments or interactions differently than he intended.
“It took me years (decades?) to understand that flirting with every woman I met was not okay,” he admits.
Hoffman describes himself as someone with a bawdy sense of humor who frequently sought attention.
“It’s not that Lisa has ever doubted my love or my commitment,” he writes.
“She knows who she’s dealing with. She fell in love with a guy with a bawdy sense of humor who is obsessed with sex and is always looking for attention.”
The actor acknowledges that he did not always consider how his behavior might affect people who did not know him personally.
He writes that it took “an embarrassingly long time to grasp that if I was flirting or my jokes were too dirty, people who were not my wife might think I was being inappropriate.”
“I know I’m harmless, she knows I’m harmless, but if you’d never met me before, would you know?” Hoffman continues.
“I’m not looking to humiliate or offend anybody. I’m not a person who gets off on having power, or pressuring people to do things. To be perfectly honest, I never thought of myself as a person with power in the first place.”
Hoffman also considers whether he failed to recognize other people’s feelings.
“Is it possible that I’ve been guilty of insufficient empathy? That I was too self-involved to correctly perceive what the people around me were feeling all the time? Sure. Of course,” he writes.
He concludes the chapter by adding, “If you don’t feel the same way, then you are different from every other human being I’ve met in this life. Male or female.”
Hoffman’s memoir, “Look at Me,” is available November 10 wherever books are sold.
Dustin Hoffman Breaks Silence on Sexual Misconduct Allegations, Admits Making Women ‘Uncomfortable’