Richard Dreyfuss under fire after alleged "Offensive" comments at Jaws screening, Theatre issues apology

In what is not the first time the actor has come under fire, Richard Dreyfuss has been singled out by netizens. The criticism came after the actor allegedly said some offensive things about women and trans people at a Jaws retrospective screening in Beverly, Massachusetts. The exact comments of the actors remain undisclosed as of now.

This is not the first time that the veteran actor has been the subject of vicious online backlash in recent years due to his comments. The previous incidents included comments about the use of blackface and Oscar's inclusivity rules. A 2023 comment, in particular, generated a lot of negative press for the actor.

Yet, the actor took the stage in a housedress and continued to a rant that has been described as "homophobic," "disgusting," and "sexist" by attendees. The exact contents are yet to be released, but the theatre handed out a long apology to the attendees who may have been hurt by Richard Dreyfuss' words

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What did the theatre say about Richard Dreyfuss' rant?

A still of Richard Dreyfuss (Image via Getty)

While further details on what Dreyfuss said to the audience are to be revealed, some claims contained rants about women and the MeToo Movement, with some homophobic and transphobic comments. There is an apology letter from the theatre revealing a few things about what went wrong.

As acquired by WBSM, the email to the patrons read:

"We deeply regret that Mr. Dreyfuss's comments during the event were not in line with the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold at The Cabot. We understand that his remarks were distressing and offensive to many of our community members, and for that, we sincerely apologize."

It further added:

"We take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for any discomfort it caused. We are taking immediate steps to ensure that such an incident does not happen again. This includes more rigorous vetting of our event participants and more proactive communication strategies to keep our audience informed."

The statement seems to indicate that many of the comments seriously affected those watching the retrospective. The theatre is reportedly still in touch with the patrons in a bid to resolve this issue.

Many commented online about his speech, with some claiming that it was vile and dehumanizing. Another commentator also revealed that one family with a young child had to allegedly walk out of the theatre mid-performance.

The 76-year-old actor has previously been accused of many such incidents and remains one of the outspoken critics of several controversial topics like the Oscar inclusivity rules.

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Richard Dreyfuss' comments about using blackface and Oscar's inclusivity rule saw a severe backlash in 2023 when the actor claimed that a white actor should be allowed to play a black character. He even compared it to Stuart Burge's Othello from 1965, where the actor played a black character.

Though the internet has called him out several times, Richard Dreyfuss has not resorted to remain quiet about his stance.

More details about the latest Jaws screening incident are slated to arrive soon.