Dustin Hoffman apologises over allegations he sexually harassed 17-year-old

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

This was published 6 years ago

Dustin Hoffman apologises over allegations he sexually harassed 17-year-old

By Broede Carmody
Updated

Dustin Hoffman has apologised over explosive allegations he sexually harassed a 17-year-old intern three decades ago.

Writer Anna Graham Hunter claims the Oscar-winning actor grabbed her bum and used vulgar language around her on the set of 1985 TV film Death of a Salesman.

"He asked me to give him a foot massage on my first day on set," Hunter alleged in a first-person account for The Hollywood Reporter.

"He was openly flirtatious, he grabbed my ass, he talked about sex to me and in front of me."

Dustin Hoffman at the premiere of the film The Meyerowitz Stories last month.

Dustin Hoffman at the premiere of the film The Meyerowitz Stories last month.Credit: AP

Hoffman has since released a statement apologising for making Hunter feel uncomfortable.

"I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation," he said. "I am sorry."

Hunter's piece for the Reporter claims the alleged harassment occurred over a five-week period. She was a high-school senior at the time.

"One morning I went to his dressing room to take his breakfast order; he looked at me and grinned, taking his time," she wrote.

Advertisement

"Then he said, 'I'll have a hard-boiled egg … and a soft-boiled clitoris.' His entourage burst out laughing. I left, speechless. Then I went to the bathroom and cried."

Hunter's diary excerpts reveal how, at times, the behaviour made her feel scared and repulsed on set. She said it took her years to come to terms with what happened.

"At 49, I understand what Dustin Hoffman did as it fits into the larger pattern of what women experience in Hollywood and everywhere," she said.

"He was a predator, I was a child, and this was sexual harassment. As to how it fits into my own pattern, I imagine I'll be figuring that out for years to come."

Numerous allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct have been made against Hollywood heavyweights in recent weeks, including disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and House of Cards star Kevin Spacey.

Loading

Director Brett Ratner has also been accused of sexual harassment, with six women telling their story to the Los Angeles Times. However the X-Men: The Last Stand and Hercules boss has denied any wrongdoing.

with Reuters

Most Viewed in Culture

Loading