Dustin Hoffman recalls his difficult start in the field of acting
Dustin Hoffman reveals that before he became one of the most acknowledged actors in Hollywood, he thought he would be teaching acting for the rest of his life
During a recent conversation about his new film Tuner with co-star Leo Woodall, the 88-year-old actor joked that he still thinks about teaching “if acting doesn’t work out.”
In the film, Hoffman and Woodall play piano tuners, with Woodall’s character going to great lengths to support Hoffman’s hospitalized mentor character.
Before the fame and the success of The Graduate and The Tiger Makes Out in 1967, Hoffman was going through some rough years, and that is why he is always looking back.
“Actually, to be honest, I was planning on being an acting teacher, which, after eight or nine years of studying without getting any breaks, is exactly what I did,” Hoffman shared with PEOPLE. “At that point, you have gathered enough knowledge about acting that you can actually teach it.”
He even mentioned the fact that starting out as an actor is usually very hard and that most people don’t start making a living through acting for quite a long time. “The trick is the first five years most actors are not working, ” Hoffman commented. “And if you get a job after five years, the reaction is, ‘Oh, that’s great, you’re working already.'”
Dustin Hoffman Used Real Acting Students in ‘Tootsie’ Scene
But to make it real, Hoffman reached out to his friend Jack Waltzer, who is not only an actor but also an acting teacher, and asked him to bring his real students on the set.
“He sent his Dustin Hoffman told that a very memorable scene in Tootsie originated from his personal experience of teaching acting prior to his success in Hollywood.
Hoffman said that he came up with the idea and shared it with director Sydney Pollack to begin the 1982 movie with a classroom scene, as his character was an actor facing financial difficulties and giving acting lessons for income. class over, and they came over, and we just improvised that scene,” Hoffman said in an interview with PEOPLE.
Hoffman Encourages Young Actors to Seize Opportunities
Dustin Hoffman advises the young generation of actors to grab every acting job they can get in order to build up their experience during the early stages of their careers.
The Tootsie actor reminisced about his formative years in the film industry and acknowledged that jobs may not fall into one’s lap easily in the beginning.
“If you’re not getting any work, then don’t say no to anything, ” Hoffman warned. “Even a small job, it’s work.”
He gave an example of community theater and teaching as great opportunities for young actors to hone their talents besides sporadic work in big productions.
Along with this, Hoffman narrated an incident from a basketball player who emphasized continuous self-practice and improvement.
“I am always trying to fix the mistakes that I have made, ” Hoffman explained.
Releasing his latest movie, Turner, along with Leo Woodall, has just been made available in cinemas.
