WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.640 Welcome back to The Deep Dive. Today we are looking 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:05.799 at an actor whose entire career feels like, well, 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:08.259 an affront to the whole idea of the traditional 00:00:08.259 --> 00:00:12.019 Hollywood leading man, a true cinematic disruptor. 00:00:12.019 --> 00:00:13.880 That's a great way to put it. We're talking about 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:16.219 someone who was... you know by the standards 00:00:16.219 --> 00:00:18.899 of the day almost uncastable right yet through 00:00:18.899 --> 00:00:22.019 just sheer talent and this unwavering dedication 00:00:22.019 --> 00:00:24.960 to the method he became one of the most respected 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:27.859 most consistently rewarded actors of his generation 00:00:27.859 --> 00:00:31.379 and he did it by playing the marginalized the 00:00:31.379 --> 00:00:34.039 anti -hero characters just defined by their deep 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:37.539 emotional vulnerability exactly okay let's get 00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:40.619 into it we have poured over a huge stack of sources 00:00:40.619 --> 00:00:43.479 articles interviews biographies all covering 00:00:43.479 --> 00:00:45.939 the life the career and the reception of American 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:49.399 actor and filmmaker Dustin Lee Hoffman. And our 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:51.259 mission for this deep dive is pretty ambitious. 00:00:51.740 --> 00:00:54.140 We're going to trace this surprising decades 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:56.679 -long journey, a career that spans from 1960 00:00:56.679 --> 00:00:59.679 all the way to the present day. We're really 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:01.560 tracking that pivotal transition, aren't we? 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:03.460 I mean, a struggle that lasted over a decade? 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:05.760 Oh, absolutely. From a perpetually struggling 00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:09.959 stage actor in New York City to becoming a central 00:01:09.959 --> 00:01:12.299 figure in that cinematic revolution we call New 00:01:12.299 --> 00:01:14.659 Hollywood. And as we go through his defining 00:01:14.659 --> 00:01:16.819 roles, we'll be focusing on the surprising facts, 00:01:16.980 --> 00:01:19.459 the intense preparation that earned him his two 00:01:19.459 --> 00:01:23.120 Academy Awards, four BAFTAs, five Golden Globes. 00:01:23.219 --> 00:01:25.500 The list just goes on. It's a legacy built on 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:28.200 demanding that Hollywood look beyond its own, 00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:31.099 you know, superficial definitions of what a star 00:01:31.099 --> 00:01:33.459 should be. Yeah. So let's start at the very beginning 00:01:33.459 --> 00:01:36.480 because the context of his early life, it really 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:38.659 sets the stage perfectly for the struggle he 00:01:38.659 --> 00:01:40.900 was about to face. So Dustin Lee Hoffman's roots 00:01:40.900 --> 00:01:43.219 are, you know, surprisingly. mundane for the 00:01:43.219 --> 00:01:45.939 kind of drama he would later create. He was born 00:01:45.939 --> 00:01:48.299 in Los Angeles. Which, as you said, is so ironic 00:01:48.299 --> 00:01:51.260 for a guy who ended up defining himself by rejecting 00:01:51.260 --> 00:01:53.980 the whole L .A. studio system. Exactly. He was 00:01:53.980 --> 00:01:56.879 the younger of two sons. His father, Harry Hoffman, 00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:59.500 worked as a prop supervisor at Columbia Pictures 00:01:59.500 --> 00:02:01.980 before becoming a furniture salesman. And his 00:02:01.980 --> 00:02:04.680 mother was Lillian Gold. So there was some connection 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:07.000 to the industry then. And it was there from birth, 00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:10.240 literally. He was named after a stage and silent 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:13.129 screen actor, Dustin Farnham. It's almost like 00:02:13.129 --> 00:02:16.650 the name preordained his path, even if his family 00:02:16.650 --> 00:02:18.750 life wasn't particularly theatrical. Right. His 00:02:18.750 --> 00:02:21.310 older brother, Ronald, he took a much more practical 00:02:21.310 --> 00:02:24.050 route, became a lawyer and an economist. And 00:02:24.050 --> 00:02:27.550 the family history, when you trace it back, is 00:02:27.550 --> 00:02:31.090 rooted in Ashkenazi Jewish immigration, specifically 00:02:31.090 --> 00:02:34.629 from Kiev in what was the Russian Empire and 00:02:34.629 --> 00:02:37.919 also from Yaiyai, Romania. And this ethnic background 00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:40.680 is so crucial, especially because, as the sources 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:43.340 point out, his upbringing was explicitly non 00:02:43.340 --> 00:02:45.879 -religious. Yeah. He said he had, and I quote, 00:02:46.099 --> 00:02:48.539 no memory of celebrating holidays growing up 00:02:48.539 --> 00:02:51.159 that were Jewish. He only realized he was Jewish 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:53.400 around age 10. And mostly because other people 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:56.020 told him he was. Exactly. And that late connection 00:02:56.020 --> 00:02:57.900 to his own heritage, maybe that's what informs 00:02:57.900 --> 00:03:00.139 the depth he later brought to playing Outsiders. 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:03.099 He embraced this ethnic realism that Hollywood 00:03:03.099 --> 00:03:05.240 usually just shied away from. Yeah, our sources 00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:07.599 say he's since become more observant and really 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:10.439 regrets not being fluent in Hebrew. Now, if we 00:03:10.439 --> 00:03:13.139 look at his education, his initial plans were 00:03:13.139 --> 00:03:17.039 incredibly traditional. After graduating from 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:20.219 L .A. High in 1955, he went to Santa Monica College 00:03:20.219 --> 00:03:23.379 to study medicine. Medicine. That's about as 00:03:23.379 --> 00:03:25.400 far from acting as you can get. The definition 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:28.680 of a stable career. But his first artistic passion 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:31.250 wasn't even acting. It was piano. He wanted to 00:03:31.250 --> 00:03:33.509 be a classical pianist, studied it for years. 00:03:33.810 --> 00:03:36.310 Until he admitted, with that classic bluntness 00:03:36.310 --> 00:03:39.310 of his, that he just did not have an ear. Right. 00:03:39.389 --> 00:03:41.629 And the big shift came when he took an acting 00:03:41.629 --> 00:03:44.189 class, thinking it would be an easy A to pad 00:03:44.189 --> 00:03:46.810 his grades. And instead, he caught the acting 00:03:46.810 --> 00:03:49.150 bug. That one decision, just looking for an easy 00:03:49.150 --> 00:03:52.060 class, led him to leave college entirely. and 00:03:52.060 --> 00:03:54.300 join the Pasadena Playhouse. And this is where 00:03:54.300 --> 00:03:56.840 the kind of the mythology of his generation really 00:03:56.840 --> 00:03:59.199 begins. Because at the Playhouse, he meets Gene 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:02.139 Hackman. Another future titan of cinema. And 00:04:02.139 --> 00:04:04.539 the struggling artist story really solidifies 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:07.180 when he follows Hackman to New York City. I mean, 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:09.400 the sources paint this picture of just relentless 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:12.639 hardship. For years in the 60s, you have Hoffman, 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:15.520 Hackman, and Robert Duvall. Three future Oscar 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:18.800 winners. All roommates. living together, just 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:21.300 struggling desperately to find enough stage work 00:04:21.300 --> 00:04:23.240 to pay the rent. And you can feel the psychological 00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:26.620 toll. Hackman later said, the idea that any of 00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:28.699 us would do well in film simply didn't occur 00:04:28.699 --> 00:04:32.220 to us. Their ambition was the stage. Film was 00:04:32.220 --> 00:04:35.459 like a fantasy. And this wasn't a brief period. 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:38.579 He spent 10 years doing odd jobs, often unemployed, 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:41.860 a struggle he later, you know, immortalized in 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:44.379 Tootsie. And we have to talk about why that struggle 00:04:44.379 --> 00:04:47.110 lasted so long. The sources are unanimous. It 00:04:47.110 --> 00:04:49.470 was his appearance. The single biggest obstacle. 00:04:49.910 --> 00:04:52.449 Vanity Fair said his look and his size made him 00:04:52.449 --> 00:04:55.709 seem uncastable. Utterly uncastable in that era. 00:04:55.750 --> 00:04:58.420 And this bias was driven home early. and by his 00:04:58.420 --> 00:05:00.079 own family. Yeah, that's the famous story about 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:02.300 his Aunt Pearl. Who warned him, in no uncertain 00:05:02.300 --> 00:05:04.959 terms, you can't be an actor. You are not good 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:07.740 -looking enough. Wow. That kind of definitive 00:05:07.740 --> 00:05:10.680 rejection from family, it's a powerful driver. 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:12.819 It forces you to be defined by transformation, 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:15.959 not by type. It basically sets up his whole career 00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:18.500 as an act of professional defiance. He couldn't 00:05:18.500 --> 00:05:20.579 play the hero, so he had to redefine what the 00:05:20.579 --> 00:05:23.949 hero or the anti -hero looked like. He even briefly 00:05:23.949 --> 00:05:26.589 left acting to teach during that time. But he 00:05:26.589 --> 00:05:29.050 came back, and he studied at the legendary Actor's 00:05:29.050 --> 00:05:31.589 Studio. And that's critical. The Actor's Studio 00:05:31.589 --> 00:05:33.769 is where he becomes this dedicated method actor. 00:05:33.930 --> 00:05:37.230 It's all about intense psychological identification 00:05:37.230 --> 00:05:40.149 with the character. Since he couldn't rely on 00:05:40.149 --> 00:05:42.410 his looks, he had to immerse himself in the character's 00:05:42.410 --> 00:05:44.829 internal life. And that paid off first in the 00:05:44.829 --> 00:05:48.069 theater. His Broadway debut was a tiny part in 00:05:48.069 --> 00:05:51.589 1961. But he wasn't just waiting for roles. He 00:05:51.589 --> 00:05:54.170 was learning the craft. Assistant directing for 00:05:54.170 --> 00:05:56.649 guys like Ulu Grossbard. Right, on plays like 00:05:56.649 --> 00:05:59.389 A View from the Bridge, which coincidentally 00:05:59.389 --> 00:06:02.170 starred his old roommate Robert Duvall. By the 00:06:02.170 --> 00:06:04.829 mid -60s, his reputation on the stage was solid. 00:06:05.050 --> 00:06:07.910 He got critical acclaim for his sharply outlined 00:06:07.910 --> 00:06:10.709 and vividly colored performance in an off -Broadway 00:06:10.709 --> 00:06:13.230 play. And then he won a Drama Disc Award in 1966 00:06:13.230 --> 00:06:15.930 for another play, eh? So he was a respected, 00:06:16.009 --> 00:06:18.209 established talent in New York theater. He'd 00:06:18.209 --> 00:06:20.889 proven Amperl wrong, at least on the stage. But 00:06:20.889 --> 00:06:24.470 for film, that door was still sealed tight. That 00:06:24.470 --> 00:06:28.149 is, until 1967. His film career officially starts 00:06:28.149 --> 00:06:31.810 pretty quietly. with a black comedy called The 00:06:31.810 --> 00:06:35.629 Tiger Makes Out, co -starring Eli Wallach. But 00:06:35.629 --> 00:06:38.089 the story around it is really about his continuing 00:06:38.089 --> 00:06:41.110 financial struggle. This is where the pre -fame 00:06:41.110 --> 00:06:44.019 desperation really hits you. Right after wrapping 00:06:44.019 --> 00:06:46.560 that movie, he had to fly to Fargo, North Dakota 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:49.180 to direct two community theater productions. 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:51.939 That's $1 ,000. $1 ,000. He needed that money 00:06:51.939 --> 00:06:53.860 just to hold him over until his film payment 00:06:53.860 --> 00:06:56.759 came through. The guy had a feature film under 00:06:56.759 --> 00:06:58.500 his belt and was still working what amounted 00:06:58.500 --> 00:07:01.379 to minimum wage gigs. Which just underscores 00:07:01.379 --> 00:07:04.199 the seismic, almost miraculous nature of his 00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:07.660 next role. The Graduate. 1967. Yeah. And the 00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:09.680 director, Mike Nichols, was the one who took 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:11.639 the chance. Right, and Nichols had actually rejected 00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:13.620 him the year before for a Broadway musical because 00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:15.819 he couldn't sing well enough. Alan Alda got that 00:07:15.819 --> 00:07:18.680 part. But Nichols was so impressed by Hoffman's 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:21.500 energy in that failed audition that he took this 00:07:21.500 --> 00:07:24.500 monumental risk. Nichols himself called it an 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:27.680 act of tremendous courage, casting this unknown 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:30.160 stage actor as Benjamin Braddock in a mainstream 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:33.560 Hollywood film. It was just unprecedented. And 00:07:33.560 --> 00:07:36.079 of course... The film was a cultural phenomenon, 00:07:36.259 --> 00:07:39.459 a massive hit. The story of the college grad 00:07:39.459 --> 00:07:42.879 having an affair with Mrs. Robinson, it defined 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:46.379 a generation. And Hoffman was an overnight sensation. 00:07:46.819 --> 00:07:49.579 Gets his first Academy Award nomination. He lost 00:07:49.579 --> 00:07:52.560 to Rod Steiger, but still. But the real impact 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:55.220 wasn't just the box office. It was the shift 00:07:55.220 --> 00:07:58.220 he represented. Time magazine called him a symbol 00:07:58.220 --> 00:08:01.259 of youth, a new breed of actors. He just felt 00:08:01.259 --> 00:08:03.180 different from the Rock Hudsons of the world. 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:05.800 Screenwriter Buck Henry said his success changed 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:08.100 the whole idea of what a male lead should look 00:08:08.100 --> 00:08:10.980 like. He compared him to Humphrey Bogart. Which 00:08:10.980 --> 00:08:13.459 is a fascinating comparison. A character actor 00:08:13.459 --> 00:08:16.240 suddenly redefining the leading man. And critics 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:18.879 were not shy about his looks. Life magazine joked 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:21.100 that if Dustin Hoffman's face were his fortune, 00:08:21.220 --> 00:08:23.459 he'd be committed to a life of poverty. I mean, 00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:25.519 that really highlights the magnitude of the change. 00:08:25.860 --> 00:08:28.660 Talent and realism were finally challenging physical 00:08:28.660 --> 00:08:31.350 perfection in Hollywood. Turner Classic Movies 00:08:31.350 --> 00:08:33.909 credits him with breaking the mold of the traditional 00:08:33.909 --> 00:08:36.830 movie star, bringing a new candor, ethnicity, 00:08:37.129 --> 00:08:40.289 and eagerness to dive deep into complex, even 00:08:40.289 --> 00:08:42.970 unlikable characters. He was the perfect, imperfect 00:08:42.970 --> 00:08:45.529 face of new Hollywood. But let's bring it back 00:08:45.529 --> 00:08:47.730 down to earth for a second. Even after The Graduate, 00:08:48.070 --> 00:08:50.490 the money was still tight. Oh yeah. He was paid 00:08:50.490 --> 00:08:53.850 only $20 ,000 for the film. After expenses, he 00:08:53.850 --> 00:08:58.299 netted... $4 ,000. $4 ,000. And the most shocking 00:08:58.299 --> 00:09:01.159 detail, which the sources confirm, is that after 00:09:01.159 --> 00:09:03.960 spending that, he briefly filed for unemployment 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:07.500 in New York City. $55 a week. Can you imagine 00:09:07.500 --> 00:09:10.879 an Oscar -nominated global star on unemployment? 00:09:11.179 --> 00:09:13.679 It just shows the disconnect between fame and 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:15.779 financial stability back then. And that fame 00:09:15.779 --> 00:09:18.120 brought its own problem. Typecasting. So his 00:09:18.120 --> 00:09:22.019 next big move in 1969's Midnight Cowboy was a 00:09:22.019 --> 00:09:24.559 brilliant strategic counterattack. He took the 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:27.500 role of Ratza Rizzo, the sickly, limping con 00:09:27.500 --> 00:09:30.419 artist, precisely because it was the polar opposite 00:09:30.419 --> 00:09:32.940 of the clean -cut Benjamin Braddock. He was determined 00:09:32.940 --> 00:09:35.139 to prove he was a true character actor, not just 00:09:35.139 --> 00:09:37.919 a type. And the story of how he got that part 00:09:37.919 --> 00:09:40.820 is legendary. The director, John Schlesinger, 00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:44.480 still saw him as the preppy Braddock. So Hoffman 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:47.120 took matters into his own hands. He met Schlesinger 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:49.960 in Times Square, but he was fully dressed as 00:09:49.960 --> 00:09:52.700 a convincing homeless person. Dirty raincoat, 00:09:52.919 --> 00:09:56.320 greasy hair, the works. Schlesinger walked right 00:09:56.320 --> 00:09:58.759 past him, didn't even recognize him. The transformation 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:02.139 was so total, he got the part on the spot. And 00:10:02.139 --> 00:10:04.679 of course, the film won Best Picture, and Hoffman 00:10:04.679 --> 00:10:07.200 got his second Oscar nomination. Critic Peter 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:09.820 Biskin called Rats or Rizzo one of the landmark 00:10:09.820 --> 00:10:12.960 performances of movie history. It was cemented. 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:15.299 He wrapped up that revolutionary decade with 00:10:15.299 --> 00:10:17.419 John and Mary, co -starring with Mia Farrow. 00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:20.340 They were on the cover of Time as the stars of 00:10:20.340 --> 00:10:22.799 their generation. The accolades were just stacking 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:25.139 up. So the 1970s, this is where he becomes a 00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:27.779 consistent, bankable star, but he just refuses 00:10:27.779 --> 00:10:30.000 to take the easy roles. No, he moves right into 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:33.360 these experimental, physically demanding, often 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:35.480 controversial projects. Kicking off with Little 00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:38.379 Big Man in 1970, this film required just an extreme 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:41.179 transformation. He plays Jack Crabb, aging from 00:10:41.179 --> 00:10:44.659 a teenager to a 121 -year -old man. And this 00:10:44.659 --> 00:10:47.379 was a huge statement. about his method commitment. 00:10:47.539 --> 00:10:50.139 It wasn't just makeup. It was deep physical character 00:10:50.139 --> 00:10:52.700 work, changing his voice, his posture, his energy. 00:10:53.139 --> 00:10:55.799 It showcased his insane range right at the start 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:57.460 of his career. Then he does a string of other 00:10:57.460 --> 00:11:00.740 difficult films, Straw Dogs, Papillon. He was 00:11:00.740 --> 00:11:03.279 deliberately choosing these morally ambiguous 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:06.799 characters. Which brings us to 1974's Lenny, 00:11:06.840 --> 00:11:09.399 where he plays the controversial comedian Lenny 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:12.299 Bruce. That earned him his third Oscar nomination. 00:11:12.620 --> 00:11:14.539 What's so interesting is that he initially turned 00:11:14.539 --> 00:11:16.820 it down. He thought the script was weak. But 00:11:16.820 --> 00:11:19.279 then he dove into Bruce's life. his routines, 00:11:19.559 --> 00:11:22.600 and he found this deep personal connection. He 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:24.840 saw Bruce's willingness to push boundaries, his 00:11:24.840 --> 00:11:27.279 spontaneity, his guts. He said, I began to feel 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:30.440 an affinity with him. I love to provoke. So the 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:33.039 role let him channel his own anti -establishment 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:35.860 impulse. And the critics loved it. Judith Kreis 00:11:35.860 --> 00:11:38.240 said he was vanishing into the Bruce persona 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:40.960 to simply stunning effectiveness. The film got 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:43.159 six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. 00:11:43.340 --> 00:11:45.759 And this theme of challenging institutional power 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:48.259 flows right into his next huge film, All the 00:11:48.259 --> 00:11:51.600 President's Men in 1976. Starring alongside Robert 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:54.000 Redford, playing Carl Bernstein, investigating 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:56.600 the Watergate scandal less than two years after 00:11:56.600 --> 00:11:58.539 it happened. The characters are so different, 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:01.220 Bernstein and Lenny Bruce, but they're spiritually 00:12:01.220 --> 00:12:03.639 aligned, aren't they? Absolutely. Both of them 00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:05.539 are figures who set themselves against the abuse 00:12:05.539 --> 00:12:08.740 of power. One uses comedy, the other uses journalism. 00:12:09.230 --> 00:12:12.350 The film was a smash hit, a spellbinding detective 00:12:12.350 --> 00:12:15.409 story, and that pairing of Hoffman and Redford, 00:12:15.490 --> 00:12:18.870 they were ranked as number 27 on AFI's list of 00:12:18.870 --> 00:12:21.210 100 heroes. Now let's talk about the other big 00:12:21.210 --> 00:12:24.649 film from 1976, Marathon Man, because this one 00:12:24.649 --> 00:12:26.870 became the benchmark for discussing the extremes 00:12:26.870 --> 00:12:29.350 of American method acting. This is the one with 00:12:29.350 --> 00:12:32.289 Laurence Olivier, a chilling thriller. Hoffman 00:12:32.289 --> 00:12:34.549 plays a grad student who gets tangled up with 00:12:34.549 --> 00:12:37.029 a Nazi war criminal. And to get into the right 00:12:37.029 --> 00:12:39.360 mindset for the role. To achieve that severe 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:42.340 traumatized state, Hoffman went without sleep 00:12:42.340 --> 00:12:44.899 for several days. Just deliberately letting his 00:12:44.899 --> 00:12:47.200 body get distressed. This is classic intense 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:50.320 method preparation living the role. And this 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:52.840 leads to maybe the most famous anecdote of his 00:12:52.840 --> 00:12:55.759 entire career. The classically trained Laurence 00:12:55.759 --> 00:12:59.440 Olivier sees Hoffman's haggard state on set right 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:02.139 before the famous dental torture scene. And after 00:13:02.139 --> 00:13:04.960 Hoffman explains his whole process, Olivier delivers 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:08.320 that legendary line. My dear boy, have you ever 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:11.460 tried simply acting? It's much easier. It's a 00:13:11.460 --> 00:13:13.820 perfect encapsulation of the two schools of thought. 00:13:14.100 --> 00:13:17.059 Olivier's classic, controlled craft versus Hoffman's 00:13:17.059 --> 00:13:19.960 visceral, lived immersion. But there was more 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:22.419 to Marathon Man than just method acting. It also 00:13:22.419 --> 00:13:25.139 revealed his deep moral conviction. He had a 00:13:25.139 --> 00:13:26.980 major disagreement with the screenwriter, William 00:13:26.980 --> 00:13:29.379 Goldman, about the ending. The script called 00:13:29.379 --> 00:13:31.639 for his character to cold bloodedly kill the 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:34.399 Nazi. And Hoffman refused. Point blank. He said, 00:13:34.500 --> 00:13:37.860 I won't play a Jew who cold bloodedly kills another 00:13:37.860 --> 00:13:40.720 human being. He argued that his character's humanity 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:43.139 was paramount. That shows his commitment wasn't 00:13:43.139 --> 00:13:45.320 just to the role, but to an ethical framework 00:13:45.320 --> 00:13:48.120 that he wouldn't compromise. And the decade culminates 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:50.460 with a profound turning point, both personal 00:13:50.460 --> 00:13:54.440 and professional. 1979's Kramer vs. Kramer. This 00:13:54.440 --> 00:13:56.519 is where he wins his first Academy Award for 00:13:56.519 --> 00:13:59.210 Best Actor. The film sweeps the major awards, 00:13:59.509 --> 00:14:01.889 including Best Picture. And the subject matter. 00:14:02.009 --> 00:14:04.570 A painful divorce and its impact on a young son 00:14:04.570 --> 00:14:06.870 was intensely difficult because it mirrored his 00:14:06.870 --> 00:14:08.909 own life. He was going through a divorce during 00:14:08.909 --> 00:14:11.590 filming. So the role required this huge emotional 00:14:11.590 --> 00:14:14.509 transformation on screen from a work -obsessed 00:14:14.509 --> 00:14:17.110 ad director to a responsive, concerned father. 00:14:17.769 --> 00:14:19.889 And he found the process deeply painful, but 00:14:19.889 --> 00:14:22.929 also therapeutic. He said, I got closer to being 00:14:22.929 --> 00:14:25.110 a father by playing a father. That's very painful 00:14:25.110 --> 00:14:27.629 to say. He gave so much credit to the director, 00:14:27.789 --> 00:14:30.789 Robert Benton, for creating a safe space to explore 00:14:30.789 --> 00:14:33.389 those raw emotions. It's a perfect example of 00:14:33.389 --> 00:14:36.529 turning real life pain into transcendent art. 00:14:36.830 --> 00:14:39.490 So as we move into the 1980s, Hoffman really 00:14:39.490 --> 00:14:42.830 solidifies his reputation for just radical versatility. 00:14:42.990 --> 00:14:45.789 He shifts gears dramatically from intense divorce 00:14:45.789 --> 00:14:49.320 drama to. well, to groundbreaking comedy. Tootsie, 00:14:49.419 --> 00:14:52.759 1982, an absolute masterclass. He plays Michael 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:54.919 Dorsey, this struggling perfectionist actor who 00:14:54.919 --> 00:14:57.019 adopts a female persona, Dorothy Michaels, to 00:14:57.019 --> 00:14:59.700 get a job. It earned him his fifth Oscar nomination. 00:15:00.500 --> 00:15:03.159 And critic David Denby captured it perfectly 00:15:03.159 --> 00:15:05.740 when he said the character embodies vulnerability 00:15:05.740 --> 00:15:09.019 and drive in perfect proportion. Yeah, he didn't 00:15:09.019 --> 00:15:11.440 just play a man in a dress. He used the disguise 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:15.000 to explore sexism and chauvinism. Dorothy was 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:17.220 vulnerable, she was intelligent, and ultimately 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:19.639 she was way more successful than Michael. The 00:15:19.639 --> 00:15:22.039 transformation was total, external, and internal. 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:25.340 But even on this huge hit, there were challenges. 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:27.840 Hoffman was apparently grieved that he didn't 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:30.440 get the rehearsal time he wanted, that perfectionism 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:32.809 never went away. And there's an interesting anecdote 00:15:32.809 --> 00:15:35.370 tied to this film about the price of integrity 00:15:35.370 --> 00:15:38.169 in Hollywood. Yeah, the actor Gary Oldman reported 00:15:38.169 --> 00:15:40.710 that Hoffman recalled making some candid comments 00:15:40.710 --> 00:15:44.450 to a very powerful industry figure after Tootsie. 00:15:44.529 --> 00:15:46.669 And the fallout was that he couldn't find work 00:15:46.669 --> 00:15:48.789 in Hollywood for a while, a sort of unofficial 00:15:48.789 --> 00:15:51.350 blacklisting, even after that massive success. 00:15:51.769 --> 00:15:53.669 It says a lot about the industry's resistance 00:15:53.669 --> 00:15:56.470 to uncompromising artists. But what does he do? 00:15:56.529 --> 00:15:58.429 He just retreats to the stage, which he always 00:15:58.429 --> 00:16:01.409 considered his true home. And in 1984, he returns 00:16:01.409 --> 00:16:04.129 to Broadway to take on one of the great American 00:16:04.129 --> 00:16:07.669 dramatic roles, Willie Loman in Death of a Salesman. 00:16:07.889 --> 00:16:10.470 And this was deeply personal for him. He first 00:16:10.470 --> 00:16:12.929 read the play when he was 16 and said it was 00:16:12.929 --> 00:16:15.769 a blueprint of my family. He saw himself as the 00:16:15.769 --> 00:16:19.190 loser, the flunky in the Loman family. He trained 00:16:19.190 --> 00:16:21.769 like a boxer for that emotionally draining role, 00:16:21.909 --> 00:16:24.330 knowing he had to deliver that devastation eight 00:16:24.330 --> 00:16:27.240 shows a week. He even reprised the role for TV 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:29.940 and won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for it. Okay, 00:16:29.980 --> 00:16:33.159 so then we get to 1987's Ishtar. Ah, yes, the 00:16:33.159 --> 00:16:35.720 legendary flop. It's almost as famous for its 00:16:35.720 --> 00:16:38.539 failure as The Graduate is for its success. He 00:16:38.539 --> 00:16:40.960 co -starred with Warren Beatty as two talentless 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:43.879 singer -songwriters. The production was a disaster, 00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:46.659 the budget ballooned, and the reviews were just... 00:16:47.190 --> 00:16:49.389 overwhelmingly negative. But what's so remarkable 00:16:49.389 --> 00:16:52.190 is Hoffman's defense of it. He offered this profound 00:16:52.190 --> 00:16:54.830 justification for the film's statement. He argued 00:16:54.830 --> 00:16:57.909 it is far, far better to spend a life being second 00:16:57.909 --> 00:16:59.970 rate in something that you're passionate about 00:16:59.970 --> 00:17:02.389 than to spend a life being first grade at that 00:17:02.389 --> 00:17:04.569 which you're not passionate about. He's defending 00:17:04.569 --> 00:17:06.809 the philosophy of pursuing art over just being 00:17:06.809 --> 00:17:09.289 good at something. Yeah. Which is fascinating. 00:17:09.609 --> 00:17:11.890 You know, the film has developed this cult status. 00:17:12.329 --> 00:17:15.009 Quentin Tarantino loves it. So maybe some great 00:17:15.009 --> 00:17:17.730 failures are more interesting than safe successes. 00:17:17.930 --> 00:17:20.130 And as he always does, he bounced back immediately 00:17:20.130 --> 00:17:24.210 and spectacularly with Rain Man in 1988. Gaining 00:17:24.210 --> 00:17:27.049 his second Academy Award, he played Raymond Babbitt, 00:17:27.130 --> 00:17:30.720 an artistic savant opposite Tom Cruise. a performance 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:32.940 that required incredible precision and restraint. 00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:35.440 And his preparation was exhaustive. He spent 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:38.000 two years actively befriending autistic people, 00:17:38.119 --> 00:17:41.000 taking them bowling, observing minute behavioral 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:43.559 details to get it right without it becoming a 00:17:43.559 --> 00:17:46.079 caricature. He also drew on his early experience 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:47.980 working at the New York Psychiatric Institute 00:17:47.980 --> 00:17:50.799 when he was 21, where he sought out environments 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:54.160 where human behavior was so exposed. He summed 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:57.079 up the film's theme so well, saying, Deep inside, 00:17:57.420 --> 00:18:00.259 Rain Man is about how artistic we all are. Yeah. 00:18:00.819 --> 00:18:03.259 Director Barry Levinson just praised his enormous 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:05.420 range. And he finished the decade with Family 00:18:05.420 --> 00:18:08.400 Business in 89, playing opposite Sean Connery. 00:18:08.670 --> 00:18:10.930 which was this fascinating clash of acting styles 00:18:10.930 --> 00:18:12.930 that somehow worked beautifully. Okay, so by 00:18:12.930 --> 00:18:15.609 the 1990s, Hoffman is no longer the anti -hero 00:18:15.609 --> 00:18:18.410 disruptor. He's an icon. And we start to see 00:18:18.410 --> 00:18:21.250 him mixing these huge studio blockbusters with 00:18:21.250 --> 00:18:24.230 smaller, more personal projects. Right. We saw 00:18:24.230 --> 00:18:26.730 him in Dick Tracy, and then much more memorably 00:18:26.730 --> 00:18:29.269 for a whole generation of kids, as Captain Hook 00:18:29.269 --> 00:18:32.529 in Spielberg's Hook. A grand theatrical villain, 00:18:32.769 --> 00:18:35.230 that role got him a Golden Globe nomination. 00:18:35.750 --> 00:18:38.789 And a great detail about that performance. The 00:18:38.789 --> 00:18:41.170 costume was so heavy he had to wear an air -conditioned 00:18:41.170 --> 00:18:43.410 suit underneath it on set. That's the kind of 00:18:43.410 --> 00:18:45.730 effort he put into even his more fantastical 00:18:45.730 --> 00:18:48.589 roles. He also showed his playful side, voicing 00:18:48.589 --> 00:18:51.250 the substitute teacher Mr. Bergstrom on The Simpsons. 00:18:51.329 --> 00:18:53.589 That's a classic bit of trivia. He was credited 00:18:53.589 --> 00:18:57.329 under the pseudonym Sam Eddick. Sam Eddick. Semetic. 00:18:57.509 --> 00:19:00.269 A clever nod to his heritage. Then in 95, he's 00:19:00.269 --> 00:19:02.549 back to serious thrillers with Outbluck, playing 00:19:02.549 --> 00:19:04.750 an army colonel racing to stop a deadly virus. 00:19:05.500 --> 00:19:07.839 Critics said it was his tense, edgy performance 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:10.019 that really gave the movie its quality. And he 00:19:10.019 --> 00:19:12.299 finished the decade strong, reuniting with Barry 00:19:12.299 --> 00:19:14.680 Levinson for the black comedy Wag the Dog in 00:19:14.680 --> 00:19:17.859 1997. That earned him his seventh Oscar nomination. 00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:21.279 In that one, he played Stanley Motz, this caricature 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:23.759 of a Hollywood producer who's hired to fake a 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:26.500 war to distract from a presidential sex scandal. 00:19:26.700 --> 00:19:29.740 It was so incredibly timely. And speaking of 00:19:29.740 --> 00:19:32.900 accolades, in 1999, he gets the AFI Life Achievement 00:19:32.900 --> 00:19:35.940 Award. But his reaction to it reveals so much. 00:19:36.140 --> 00:19:38.579 He said he suffered his first and only thank 00:19:38.579 --> 00:19:41.420 God panic attack when he saw the career retrospective 00:19:41.420 --> 00:19:43.640 reel. And it was followed by a period of depression. 00:19:43.960 --> 00:19:46.579 Because, as he confessed, he never felt I deserve 00:19:46.579 --> 00:19:49.019 success. It goes right back to Ant Pearl to seeing 00:19:49.019 --> 00:19:52.099 himself as the loser. Decades of awards and acclaim 00:19:52.099 --> 00:19:54.460 couldn't erase that deep -seated self -doubt. 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:56.700 That vulnerability is what fueled his greatest 00:19:56.700 --> 00:19:59.380 roles. Post -2000, he kept working steadily. 00:19:59.829 --> 00:20:01.950 He finally got to co -star with his old friend 00:20:01.950 --> 00:20:04.990 Gene Hackman in Runaway Jury. He also did acclaimed 00:20:04.990 --> 00:20:07.769 dramas like Finding Neverland and the very eccentric 00:20:07.769 --> 00:20:11.490 comedy I Heart Huckabees. And then he found this 00:20:11.490 --> 00:20:14.670 huge new audience by leaning into broad comedy 00:20:14.670 --> 00:20:17.990 with Meet the Fockers. His performance won him 00:20:17.990 --> 00:20:21.009 an MTV Movie Award. He also found enduring success 00:20:21.009 --> 00:20:23.730 as a voice actor playing Master Shifu in the 00:20:23.730 --> 00:20:26.809 Kung Fu Panda series. And even there, his method 00:20:26.809 --> 00:20:29.279 commitment showed. He apparently tutored Jack 00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:30.920 Black for an important scene to make sure he 00:20:30.920 --> 00:20:33.240 got the emotional honesty right. His perfectionism 00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:36.400 just never diminished. And then in 2012, he finally 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:39.200 stepped behind the camera, making his directorial 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:41.619 debut with Quartet, starring Maggie Smith. The 00:20:41.619 --> 00:20:43.940 film got respectable reviews, a Golden Globe 00:20:43.940 --> 00:20:46.240 nomination for Smith. It proved he could guide 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:48.400 others to excellence. He also starred in the 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:51.000 HBO drama Luck, which was tragically canceled 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:53.880 after three horses died on set. But he bounced 00:20:53.880 --> 00:20:56.299 back, winning an international Emmy for a BBC 00:20:56.299 --> 00:20:59.319 television film. And more recently, he's still 00:20:59.319 --> 00:21:01.960 seeking out these challenging projects. He was 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:04.240 in Noah Baumbach's The Marowitz Stories, which 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:06.759 got a standing ovation at CAM. He starred alongside 00:21:06.759 --> 00:21:09.819 his son Jake Hoffman in Sam and Kate. And he's 00:21:09.819 --> 00:21:12.500 reunited with his Midnight Cowboy co -star John 00:21:12.500 --> 00:21:17.220 Voight in Francis Ford Coppola's huge epic Megalopolis. 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:21.180 The man just never stops. All right, let's shift 00:21:21.180 --> 00:21:23.599 gears a bit and look at his personal life, the 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:26.000 political backdrop and some of the controversies 00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:28.559 that have come up. His first marriage was to 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:32.140 Ann Byrne in 1969. They divorced in 1980. And 00:21:32.140 --> 00:21:34.619 there's a truly wild historical footnote attached 00:21:34.619 --> 00:21:37.299 to that marriage. In 1970, they were living next 00:21:37.299 --> 00:21:39.839 door to a townhouse in Greenwich Village that 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:41.880 was secretly being used by the radical group, 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:44.339 the Withermen. A bomb they were making accidentally 00:21:44.339 --> 00:21:46.259 went off, destroying the building. And he was 00:21:46.259 --> 00:21:47.619 right there. You can actually see him in the 00:21:47.619 --> 00:21:49.400 street during the aftermath of the documentary, 00:21:49.539 --> 00:21:52.880 The Weather Underground. His life literally brushed 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:55.839 up against domestic terrorism. Incredible. His 00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:58.339 second marriage to Lisa Gottsagen started in 00:21:58.339 --> 00:22:00.900 1980 and is still going strong. They actually 00:22:00.900 --> 00:22:02.700 met because their families knew each other growing 00:22:02.700 --> 00:22:04.400 up. Right, and they have four children together. 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:07.819 And he noted that all of them had bar or bat 00:22:07.819 --> 00:22:10.359 mitzvahs, which points to his own move toward 00:22:10.359 --> 00:22:13.400 greater religious observance later in life. Politically, 00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:15.220 he's been a longtime supporter of the Democratic 00:22:15.220 --> 00:22:17.920 Party and Ralph Nader, which you can definitely 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:20.539 see reflected in the roles he chose in the 70s. 00:22:20.660 --> 00:22:23.500 And on a health note, we were happy to read he 00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:25.940 was successfully treated for cancer in 2013. 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:29.440 OK, so now we have to turn to the sexual misconduct 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:32.460 allegations that came out publicly in 2017. And 00:22:32.460 --> 00:22:34.779 we need to just neutrally report the events as 00:22:34.779 --> 00:22:38.539 our sources laid them out. In 2017, seven women 00:22:38.539 --> 00:22:40.920 made allegations against him. One of the most 00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:43.920 detailed came from Anna Graham Hunter. She was 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:46.779 a 17 -year -old intern on the TV production of 00:22:46.779 --> 00:22:50.420 Death of a Salesman in 1985. She alleged that 00:22:50.420 --> 00:22:52.619 he made inappropriate comments to her and asked 00:22:52.619 --> 00:22:55.480 her for foot massages. In response, Hoffman issued 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:57.859 an apology, saying, I have the utmost respect 00:22:57.859 --> 00:23:00.539 for women and feel terrible that anything I might 00:23:00.539 --> 00:23:02.079 have done could have put her in an uncomfortable 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:05.099 situation. I am sorry it is not reflective of 00:23:05.099 --> 00:23:07.970 who I am. Separately, his onset relationship 00:23:07.970 --> 00:23:10.529 with Meryl Streep from Kramer vs. Kramer was 00:23:10.529 --> 00:23:12.930 also clarified. Her representative confirmed 00:23:12.930 --> 00:23:14.930 there were issues, including an incident where 00:23:14.930 --> 00:23:17.269 he slapped her during a scene and an earlier 00:23:17.269 --> 00:23:19.150 event where he groped her breast during their 00:23:19.150 --> 00:23:21.549 first meeting. But the representative also noted 00:23:21.549 --> 00:23:24.569 that Hoffman apologized for both and Streep accepted. 00:23:25.009 --> 00:23:27.289 And it's crucial to add that her rep said the 00:23:27.289 --> 00:23:29.509 initial reporting of that first meeting was not 00:23:29.509 --> 00:23:32.490 an accurate rendering of the incident. The public 00:23:32.490 --> 00:23:35.180 response, though. really zeroed in on that phrase 00:23:35.180 --> 00:23:38.380 in his apology. Not reflective of who I am. Which 00:23:38.380 --> 00:23:41.319 led to that very public, very tense confrontation 00:23:41.319 --> 00:23:44.619 with comedian John Oliver at a screening of Wag 00:23:44.619 --> 00:23:47.640 the Dog. Oliver just repeatedly challenged that 00:23:47.640 --> 00:23:50.119 specific phrase, arguing it sounded like a way 00:23:50.119 --> 00:23:52.099 to dismiss the act without taking full accountability. 00:23:52.539 --> 00:23:54.839 Hoffman said he felt blindsided by the questioning 00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:57.099 and remarked that he felt put in an impossible 00:23:57.099 --> 00:24:00.460 position. I'm guilty because someone has alleged 00:24:00.460 --> 00:24:03.539 something. I'm guilty and it's not true. The 00:24:03.539 --> 00:24:05.920 reaction was very mixed, and a number of actors 00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:08.380 like Bill Murray and Liam Neeson publicly came 00:24:08.380 --> 00:24:10.920 to his defense, showing how divided the community 00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:13.640 was on the issue. So regardless of the controversies, 00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:15.960 the sheer volume of his professional acclaim 00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:18.720 is just undeniable. It solidifies his status 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:21.539 as this icon who fundamentally changed the landscape 00:24:21.539 --> 00:24:23.799 of film acting. Let's just run through the list 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:26.579 again because it's staggering. Two Academy Awards 00:24:26.579 --> 00:24:30.039 from seven nominations, four BAFTAs, five Golden 00:24:30.039 --> 00:24:32.680 Globes, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award, 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:35.980 and two Primetime Emmys. That's a career built 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:38.579 on consistent excellence. And beyond the awards, 00:24:38.700 --> 00:24:41.180 he has nearly every major lifetime achievement 00:24:41.180 --> 00:24:44.660 honor you can get. The AFI Award, the Kennedy 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:46.980 Center Honors. International recognition, too. 00:24:47.079 --> 00:24:50.039 The Golden Lion, the Golden Bear, the Honorary 00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:52.880 Caesar. He's a global figure. Critic David Thompson 00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:55.460 described him as a central figure of the late 00:24:55.460 --> 00:24:58.180 60s, 70s and 80s, putting him in that legendary 00:24:58.180 --> 00:25:00.900 group with Nicholson, Redford and Beatty. He 00:25:00.900 --> 00:25:03.240 was essential to that era. But I think the Gotham 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:05.759 Awards commendation in 2017 really nails his 00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:09.220 legacy, praising his wide range of roles, often 00:25:09.220 --> 00:25:11.500 portraying antiheroes or the marginalized and 00:25:11.500 --> 00:25:13.220 the creative choices he has embodied in these 00:25:13.220 --> 00:25:15.339 complex characters. He always refused the easy 00:25:15.339 --> 00:25:18.240 path. And by doing that, he redefined what star 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:20.930 power even means. So that brings us to the end 00:25:20.930 --> 00:25:23.250 of our deep dive. Let's just quickly review the 00:25:23.250 --> 00:25:25.589 key takeaways from a career built on defiance. 00:25:25.890 --> 00:25:28.990 First, that sheer persistence, the decade of 00:25:28.990 --> 00:25:31.410 poverty and that brutal early rejection from 00:25:31.410 --> 00:25:34.920 his own aunt. Second. The dramatic, culture -shifting 00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:37.759 impact of The Graduate, which permanently changed 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:39.740 what a Hollywood -leading man could look and 00:25:39.740 --> 00:25:42.160 feel like. Third, that unwavering commitment 00:25:42.160 --> 00:25:44.579 to method acting, which led to conflicts, sure, 00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:47.700 but also yielded these incredibly rich and transformative 00:25:47.700 --> 00:25:50.539 performances. And finally, his radical versatility. 00:25:50.759 --> 00:25:53.240 The ability to shift from the deep vulnerability 00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:56.400 of Rain Man to the brilliant comedy of Cootsie. 00:25:56.500 --> 00:25:59.180 He mastered every type by refusing to be one. 00:25:59.480 --> 00:26:01.319 So what does this all mean for you, the listener? 00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:04.119 Hoffman's career is this powerful testament to 00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:07.140 persistence in the face of rejection. He weaponized 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:09.559 his perceived flaws and forced the industry to 00:26:09.559 --> 00:26:11.980 accommodate his genius. But the internal battle 00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:14.480 never stopped. Despite all the success, we heard 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:17.180 him say he never felt I deserved it. And this 00:26:17.180 --> 00:26:19.759 raises a final provocative question for you to 00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:22.740 think about. How often does true artistic genius 00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:26.130 coincide with profound self -doubt? And is that 00:26:26.130 --> 00:26:28.490 radical vulnerability he brought to all his greatest 00:26:28.490 --> 00:26:30.930 roles, from Benjamin Braddock to Willie Loman, 00:26:31.089 --> 00:26:34.089 is it intrinsically linked to that painful early 00:26:34.089 --> 00:26:37.029 sense of being the loser from his youth? It suggests 00:26:37.029 --> 00:26:39.630 that maybe the source of his artistic strength 00:26:39.630 --> 00:26:42.309 was the very weakness he carried inside. Something 00:26:42.309 --> 00:26:44.349 to mull over next time you watch one of his films. 00:26:44.410 --> 00:26:46.210 We hope this deep dive has given you a clearer, 00:26:46.269 --> 00:26:48.309 more nuanced appreciation of one of cinema's 00:26:48.309 --> 00:26:51.470 most important, enduring, and, well, deeply complex 00:26:51.470 --> 00:26:53.430 actors. Until next time.