Dustin Hoffman has revealed that a severe, unintended side effect of cocaine use was the reason he quit the drug in the 1970s. In his new memoir, "Look At Me," the 89-year-old actor details how the drug's ability to cause significant nasal congestion ultimately prevented him from continuing the habit.
Hoffman recounts being introduced to cocaine in the 1970s, following his divorce from Anne Byrne. At the time, he was filming the 1976 thriller "Marathon Man." He was introduced to the drug by Paramount executive and friend Bob Evans.
"God, did I love it," Hoffman writes in his memoir, according to Page Six. "But the drug stuffed me up terribly. The day after I did coke, I could barely breathe."
He further elaborated that this debilitating congestion proved to be a lifesaver. "If it weren't for the congestion," he noted, "I'd be dead right now. That's how much I love cocaine."
Evans, who died in 2019, was convicted of cocaine trafficking in 1980.
In "Marathon Man," Hoffman portrayed a graduate student caught up in a plot involving a Nazi war criminal seeking stolen diamonds. Hoffman also shared anecdotes from his time filming, including developing a nickname for his co-star Laurence Olivier, referring to him as "Lordage" which amused Olivier. After filming concluded, Olivier gifted Hoffman twelve volumes of the Temple Shakespeare Collection, containing his personal notes, as a parting gift.
Hoffman's memoir also touches on his experiences filming "The Graduate" and "Tootsie."