Richard Dreyfuss bashes Academy’s inclusion rules

Last Updated on May 25, 2023

Now 75, Richard Dreyfuss has turned into pretty much what you’d expect: curt, cranky and direct…and we love him for it! Now, he has targeted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the same organization that made him the youngest Best Actor winner at the time.

In a recent interview on PBS’ Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, Richard Dreyfuss blasted the Academy’s inclusion rules…and he wasn’t holding back. “It’s an art. No one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give in to the latest, most current idea of what morality is. What are we risking? Are we really risking hurting people’s feelings? You can’t legislate that…You have to let life be life. I’m sorry, I don’t think there is a minority or majority in the country that has to be catered to like that.” The new rules are meant to ensure that there are more on-screen depictions of underrepresented people and themes, key production members feature minority groups and more.

Richard Dreyfuss shifted to a bit more controversial statement, suggesting he has no problem with approaches like blackface. “[Laurence Oliver] played a Black man brilliantly [in 1965’s Othello]. Am I being told that I will never have a chance to play a Black man? Is someone else being told that if they’re not Jewish, they shouldn’t play [in] The Merchant of Venice? Are we crazy? This is so patronizing. It’s so thoughtless and treating people like children.” Wonder who had to break the news to him that he wasn’t going to be the new Blade…

While Richard Dreyfuss has taken a strong stand here, those who think he’s got enough experience in the business to know what he’s talking about should remember that he’s also the guy who once said of the shark in Jaws, “They should put the money into CGI [to replace] that beast and make it come alive.”

How do you feel about Richard Dreyfuss’ statements regarding the Academy’s inclusion rules? Does he make fair points or is he off his rocker? Give us your take in the comments section below!