Late night TV talk show host John Oliver grilled Hollywood star Dustin Hoffman over sexual harassment allegations, during a pre-screening panel meant to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the film 鈥淲ag the Dog.鈥�
Oliver, who hosts 鈥淟ast Week Tonight鈥� on HBO, was moderating a panel that included Hoffman, Robert De Niro, producer Jane Rosenthal and director Barry Levinson on stage in front of a live audience. The hour-long chat started with discussion of the film, but soon diverged into a tense series of exchanges between Oliver and Hoffman.
Several video clips of the heated exchange were recorded by an audience member and posted online by the Washington Post.
In the clips, Hoffman addresses allegations from Anna Graham Hunter, who claimed in a guest column for the Hollywood Reporter that the actor tried to grab her and used vulgar and sexually suggestive language when she was a 17-year-old intern on the set of the 1985 film 鈥淒eath of a Salesman.鈥� Her article, titled 鈥�,鈥� includes several transcribed journal entries (and a few photographed originals) from that time.
Hoffman鈥檚 response was published alongside Hunter鈥檚 column, and Oliver read from it during the panel: 鈥淚 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.鈥�
Responding to Oliver, Hoffman suggested that past actions don鈥檛 reflect who he is today, and many of the reports about his apology got it wrong.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a key word that鈥檚 left out鈥� And that is IF I did anything that was out of sorts or I embarrassed her, I apologize. And the word IF was important. Now it just says 鈥楬e apologizes.鈥欌��
Oliver shot back.
鈥淚t鈥檚 that kind of response to this stuff that pisses me off,鈥� he said, drawing several gasps from the crowd. 鈥淚t IS reflective of who you were,鈥� he continued. 鈥淚f it happened 鈥� and you鈥檝e given no evidence to show that it didn鈥檛 happen 鈥� then there was a period of time, for a while, when you were creepier around women. So it feels like a cop-out to say, 鈥榃ell, this isn鈥檛 me.鈥欌��
Hoffman added that he doesn鈥檛 know who Graham Hunter is, and had never met her. 鈥淚f I met her it was in a concert with other people,鈥� he said.
Hoffman accused Oliver of making a 鈥渜uick judgment,鈥� suggesting that sexual jokes among cast and crew on sets were commonplace at that time.
鈥淥ne of the things was, you come to work on Monday, did you have sex Friday? You break it up,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 said a stupid thing, but I said it in the midst of the crew, and they said their stupid things, but they were sexual in terms of the humour of it, but that team 鈥� that was 40 years ago (sic).鈥�
Oliver responded: 鈥淚t feels like dismissals or re-contextualizing it is not actually addressing it,鈥� before adding, 鈥淚 get no pleasure from having this conversation, but you and I are not the victims here.鈥�
Then, Hoffman asked Oliver why he would believe Graham Hunter鈥檚 decades-old journal entries.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no point in her lying,鈥� Oliver replied.
鈥淲ell, there is a point in her not bringing this up for 40 years,鈥� Hoffman said.
Oliver shook his head at that response, saying: 鈥淥h, Dustin鈥︹��
Hoffman also addressed groping claims made by actress Katharine Ross, with whom he co-starred in the iconic film 鈥淭he Graduate.鈥� Hoffman, who had he 鈥減inched her right buttocks,鈥� told Oliver that he touched her during an 鈥渦nhappy鈥� moment between takes on set.
鈥淪he was very upset and she turned and said, 鈥楧on鈥檛 you ever do that again.鈥� And it was, I thought, an overreaction because of what was going on all day,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he later apologized. We were very good friends on that film.鈥�
During the panel discussion, Hoffman said that was an example of 鈥渢hings that we do between takes.鈥�
Oliver said that illustrates why a 鈥渃ultural shift鈥� is necessary, because that kind of behaviour 鈥渟ounds benign鈥� when you鈥檙e the one in a position of power.
鈥淲hat may seem completely fine or normal to a certain group of people can have victims at the other end of it,鈥� Oliver said.
The late-night host said he could have left the issue unaddressed, but 鈥渢hat leaves me at home later at night hating myself.鈥�
