“I did as much as I could do at that time in my life … I tried as hard as I could and I couldn’t do better”
– Dustin Hoffman in 1971
PBS’s Blank On Blank came across this rarely heard interview with Dustin Hoffman recorded in 1971. It’s such a thoughtful, unrushed conversation from a Hollywood icon when he was just a few years into becoming a star. He was still catching his breath and asking the questions that so many of us wonder when professional careers and a family life are beginning to take shape.
Even though Hoffman was only 33 at the time of the interview, he said Hollywood already viewed as an old timer, part of the establishment. This despite the fact The Graduate, Hoffman’s breakout film, had been released a few years earlier. That was followed up by his role as Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy — the X rated film that won an oscar for best picture.
Listening to this interview tape, we were drawn to this idea of the struggles that pop up between different generations and the questions one confronts internally as he or she gets older.
Enjoy. Here’s Dustin Hoffman like you’ve rarely heard him before.
