Actor Richard Dreyfuss reportedly went on a tirade about transgenderism, the LGBTQ community, the #MeToo movement, and singer Barbra Streisand while wearing a dress at a Jaws screening.
Video footage of the event confirmed the actor appeared on stage clad in a dress while Taylor Swift’s song “Love Story” played.
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“I assumed he was joking around, later a staff member told me he was walking around town for a couple of hours picking a dress out,” Kerry, an attendee of the question and answer session of Dreyfuss’ $300-a-ticket Jaws screening at The Cabot theater in Beverley, Massachusetts, told Daily Mail. “He began to say a lot of sexist things about [Streisand], about all women. They’re stupid, they shouldn’t have any power, etc.”
Another attendee told Daily Mail that Dreyfuss “just kept going with homophobic and racist comments,” adding, “He insulted the #MeToo movement.”
A third attendee told the outlet that the American Graffiti star said society “Shouldn’t be listening to some 10-year-old who says they want to be a boy instead of a girl.”
Others noted that Dreyfuss said the 1987 film Nuts “sucked” because women are “passive.” The actor also allegedly said, “We’re so fragile that we can’t have our feelings hurt.”
Kerry added that attendees started booing the actor, to which he replied by stating, “Now, now, don’t turn into an angry mob.”
“I walked out tonight because of his small-minded bigoted view of women and choice,” an attendee of the event in New Hampshire said, according to a report by Deadline.
The theater reportedly apologized to attendees after the event, saying, “We deeply regret that Mr. Dreyfuss’s comments during the event were not in line with the values of inclusivity we uphold at The Cabot.”
“We understand that his remarks were distressing and offensive to many of our community members, and for that, we sincerely apologize,” The Cabot continued, adding, “We are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of our community.”
“The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect our beliefs, and we do not endorse them in any way,” The Cabot said. “We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for any discomfort caused.”
