Dustin Hoffman has broken his silence on #MeToo allegations in his new memoir, "Look At Me," admitting he may have made some women uncomfortable but describing that discomfort as a "subjective emotional state." The memoir, released Tuesday, addresses accusations of sexual harassment and exposure dating back to his "Tootsie" heyday.
"I'm sure it's true that in my life, especially forty years ago, I made some women uncomfortable," Hoffman writes. "But 'uncomfortable' is a subjective emotional state." He contrasts this with pressuring someone to do something against their will, stating, "That's not the same thing as pressuring someone to do something they didn't want to do."
The seven-time Oscar nominee, now 89, also discusses his "bawdy sense of humor" and his affinity for "dirty jokes." He quotes Lenny Bruce: "If God made the body, and the body is dirty, then the fault lies with the manufacturer." Hoffman asserts that his humor and his nature are not an excuse for unwanted advances.
The memoir addresses accusations from six women that surfaced prominently nearly a decade ago amid the #MeToo movement. Hoffman first issued an apology in October 2017 in response to claims by Anna Graham-Hunter, who was 17 when she worked as a production assistant on "Death of a Salesman" in 1985. Graham-Hunter detailed instances of harassment, including alleged comments about his sexual desires and grabbing her. At the time, Hoffman stated, "I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am."
Another accuser, screenwriter Wendy Riss Gatsiounis, claimed Hoffman sexually propositioned her in 1991 during a meeting to discuss adapting her play. She stated that Hoffman asked her if she had been intimate with a man over 40 and invited her to go shopping for clothes with him at a hotel. Gatsiounis alleges that Hoffman later backed out of a project when she refused his invitation. The late screenwriter Murray Schisgal, who was present at one meeting, could not recall such an event when questioned in 2017.
Hoffman writes in his memoir that he initially viewed the #MeToo movement as a positive development. "So, when a reckoning started making its way around the internet, and tearing through Hollywood, I thought it was a very good thing," he stated. "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."
He also reflects on how his wife of over 46 years, Lisa Hoffman, understands his personality. "She fell in love with a guy with a bawdy sense of humor who is obsessed with sex and is always looking for attention. Look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me," he said. Hoffman acknowledged it took him a long time to realize his flirting or jokes might be perceived as inappropriate by those who didn't know him well, adding, "I know I'm harmless, she knows I'm harmless, but if you'd never met me before, would you know?"