Meryl Streep Calls Out Dustin Hoffman For Bullying

Celebrity

Meryl Streep Calls Out Dustin Hoffman For Bullying

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations, more and more women are coming forward with their stories of their experiences with sexual assault, especially within the entertainment industry.

More recently, actor Dustin Hoffman, known for his roles in films like Rain Man and Kramer vs. Kramer, has been taking a lot of heat after multiple women brought forth sexual assault claims against him.

CBS

Hoffman, 80, was accused of sexual harassment by a woman named Anna Graham Hunter, who worked as an intern on the set of his 1985 movie Death of a Salesman. Hunter, who was just 17-years-old at the time, told The Hollywood Reporter that Hoffman flirted with her, grabbed her butt, and openly talked about sex in front of her.

The award-winning actor has also been accused of engaging in lewd behavior in front of a minor back in the 80s. Cori Thomas, who was a 16-year-old high school student at the time, says Hoffman exposed himself to her in a hotel room.

The Sun

Another woman, Melissa Kester, says Hoffman violated her at a recording studio with her boyfriend present, while filming the movie Ishtar.

"I'm standing there, and it's kind of a small room, and he grabs me, so we're both facing out so we're both facing the people in the studio," recalled Kester. "I'm thinking that it's kind of flirtatious and funny, like he's holding onto me, because I'm going to help him sing better. And as he's doing that, he literally just stuck his fingers down my pants. He put his fingers inside me. And the thing I feel most bad about is I didn't know what to do."

A fourth woman, who chose to remain anonymous, also said that Hoffman assualted her in the back of a station wagon.

SBS

When the actor was publicly confronted about the accusations by host John Oliver, he denied all the allegations and insisted that the claims are "not reflective of who I am." He also apologized to Hunter for putting her "in an uncomfortable situation."

Now, a few weeks since these allegations came to light, another woman is calling out Hoffman for his abusive actions. This time, it's actress Meryl Streep that has some troubling things to say about the actor.

Earlier this week, multiple reports surfaced alleging that Hoffman bullied and assaulted Streep while the pair were filming the 1979 flick Kramer vs. Kramer.

The 68-year-old actress finally commented on the rumors during a new interview with the New York Times, and confirmed the reports were true.

The two didn't get along on set, and Hoffman made the whole experience uncomfortable for Streep, who had just been cast in her first movie role.

Indie Wire

There was the time when Hoffman broke a wine glass in the middle of a scene without alerting Streep, so the actress ended up with shards of glass in her hair, according to producer Sherry Lansing's book.

Still, Streep managed to look the other way, but it was what Hoffman did before the start of her first take in the movie that made the actress "furious."

According to Lansing, Hoffman slapped Streep right before they started filming a scene to get a more authentic performance out of the actress.

The Mary Sue

When asked about the incident, Streep said "it was overstepping."

"This is tricky because when you're an actor, you're in a scene, you have to feel free," Streep said. "I'm sure that I have inadvertently hurt people in physical scenes. But there's a certain amount of forgiveness in that. But this was my first movie, and it was my first take in my first movie, and he just slapped me. And you see it in the movie."

Streep also told the publication that it's "a good thing" that people are no longer accepting that kind of behavior.

"I think those things are being corrected in this moment," she said. "And they're not politically corrected; they're fixed."

Independent UK

The tension between Streep and Hoffman was so intense that the director, Robert Benton, was convinced the film would flop, but thankfully, the opposite happened. Streep went on to win her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress while Hoffman took home the Best Actor award at the 52nd Academy Awards. The movie also won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Streep and Hoffman have never worked together again, but we're sure if they ever did Streep would fight back without hesitation. After all, she and Cher once fought off a New York City "thug" together.

Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.