Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Richard Dreyfuss Blasted After Bonkers Defense Of White Actors In Blackface Because 'Art Is Art'

Screenshot of Richard Dreyfuss in interview
PBS

The Oscar winner ranted about diversity standards, lamenting that he 'will never have a chance to play a Black man' on 'Firing Line with Margaret Hoover.'

Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss ranted over the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences new inclusion rules in a May 5, 2023 interview with Firing Line host Margaret Hoover.

The Jaws actor said:


“They make me vomit."

The Oscars implemented representation and inclusion standards to redefine eligibility in the Best Picture category.

In an effort to improve the underrepresentation of marginalized groups–including women, LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color–the Academy endeavored to recognize achievements in film for individuals both in front of and behind cameras "to better reflect the diverse global population."

However, Dreyfuss argued filmmaking as an "art form" should be allowed to continue to favor White men like him and insisted he, as a White male actor, should not be subject to any rules.

He also defended blackface in his rant.

Dreyfuss stated:

"No one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give into the latest, most current idea of what morality is."
"And what are we risking? Are we really risking hurting people’s feelings?"
"You can’t legislate that. And you have to let life be life.”
"I don't think that there's a minority or majority in the country that needs to be catered to like that."

He went on to refer to four-time Oscar-winning British actor Laurence Olivier to defend blackface.

“You know, Laurence Olivier was the last white actor to play Othello, and he did it in 1965, and he did it in blackface, and he played a Black man brilliantly."
"Am I being told that I will never have a chance to play a Black man?”

Twitter responded.








The act of White performers caricaturing stereotyped Black people in minstrel shows by darkening their skin with black ash or shoe polish to depict enslaved people for entertainment has long been recognized as blatantly racist.

So when Dreyfuss mentioned Laurence Olivier as an excuse to legitimize blackface, it backfired.





Fans were disheartened by his comments.





The Academy's inclusion rules were first announced in 2020 in response to years of criticism over an overwhelming majority of winners and nominees being White men.

The new benchmarks required to meet the nomination criteria only apply to the Best Picture category and go into effect in 2025.

More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

Sarah Jessica Parker
Marc Piasecki/WireImage

Sarah Jessica Parker Claps Back At Conservative Critics Who Want Her To 'Shut Up' About Politics And 'Act'

Nothing seems to get conservatives' goats quite like celebrities having political opinions—well, liberal and leftist celebrities, anyway.

They seem to love it when weird right-wing celebs like Kevin Sorbo get on the internet and say bizarre, usually counterfactual nonsense, or when JK Rowling does her darnedest to make her legacy not about Harry Potter but about her weird obsession with trans people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ann Coulter
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Ann Coulter Faces Fierce Backlash After Saying 'We Didn't Kill Enough Indians' In Deleted Post

Far-right provocateur Ann Coulter is facing fierce criticism after she made a genocidal remark in a now-deleted post on X in response to University of Minnesota professor and Navajo Nation member Melanie Yazzie's speech about colonization.

Yazzie, in a speech at last year's annual Socialism Conference, said "decolonization is the only thing that is going to save us as a species" during a panel hosted by Red Nation, a Native American nonprofit that advocates for Palestinian and Native American rights. She also said that the United States is the "greatest predator empire that has ever existed" and said it should be dismantled.

Keep ReadingShow less
James Gunn
Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage

James Gunn Bluntly Fires Back At 'Jerks' Who Criticize Superman's Pro-Immigrant Themes

Superman director James Gunn issued a response to the "jerks" who criticize the political themes inherent to the superhero's story, expressing his hope that seeing the movie will "make people a little nicer."

Speaking with The Times of London, Gunn stressed that the story of Superman is more relevant than ever considering the ongoing political turmoil in the United States largely centered around the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Keep ReadingShow less

Things People Do In Relationships That Seem Sweet But Are Actually Toxic

Content Warning: Controlling and Toxic Relationship Behaviors

We've all either been involved in or witnessed a relationship where we saw something that we thought was cute or sweet at first, but we eventually found the behavior to be troubling or "too much."

Keep ReadingShow less
A piggy bank surrounded by loose change.
coin bank

'Poor Person Habits' People Won't Give Up No Matter How Rich They Get

When money is tight, we look for every possible way to avoid spending it.

As much as we might find ourselves missing out on some of the nicer things life has to offer, we find ourselves contented by the fact that we will always have enough money in our bank accounts to pay our bills on time.

Keep ReadingShow less