(Beverly) Actor Richard Dreyfuss appeared in a dress during an event on the theme of Jaws in Massachusetts, where the hit 1975 film was filmed, and then made demeaning comments about women, LGBTQ+ communities and diversity.
The Cabot Theater issued an apology after Saturday’s event in Beverly.
The 76-year-old actor, who played a marine biologist in Jaws by Steven Spielberg, took the stage wearing a blue floral-patterned dress, which the stage managers helped him take off before putting on a sports jacket.
During what was supposed to be a candid question-and-answer session, people in the room walked out in outrage over his remarks about women in cinema and the #metoo movement, transgender youth and LGBTQ+ rights, as well as the efforts of the Academy which awards the Oscars to promote diversity.
Richard Dreyfuss has previously said that the Academy’s push for greater diversity “makes him nauseous.”
The actor received applause when he ended the discussion by referencing his book One Thought Scares Me… and to his thesis that civic education is no longer taught in classrooms, to the detriment of the country.
The lack of a foundation in civic education means that “we have no knowledge of who we are,” he said. If we don’t get back to this soon, we’re all going to die. »
The Cabot Theater sent an email apology clarifying that it does not endorse the views of the actor, who also starred in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, American Graffiti And The Goodbye Girla performance for which he received an Oscar.
The director of the Cabot Theater did not immediately respond to emails Tuesday, and a representative for Mr. Dreyfuss could not be reached.
“We deeply regret that Mr. Dreyfuss’ comments during the event were not consistent with the values of inclusiveness and respect that we defend at Cabot,” the theater said in its apology email.
“We understand that his remarks were distressing and offensive to many members of our community, and for that, we sincerely apologize. »