Dustin Hoffman has described filming The Graduate as “a terrible experience,” even though the 1967 film went on to change his life. In an essay for The New Yorker, the actor said his main difficulty was feeling unworthy of playing Benjamin Braddock, the story’s protagonist.
Hoffman recalled feeling uncomfortable from the beginning while working on a film directed by Mike Nichols, then regarded as one of the leading directors of the moment. He feared Nichols believed he was making mistakes or had realized that choosing him for the role had been wrong.
The actor said the film intensified his insecurities from the start. After reading Charles Webb’s novel, which Nichols was adapting, Hoffman believed he was entirely unsuitable for Benjamin. He questioned why someone with an appearance as “ethnic” as his had been cast to play the archetypal WASP. He ultimately agreed to audition and secured the part.
Hoffman also wrote that Nichols was often irritable on set, behaving very differently than during rehearsals. The actor frequently felt he was about to be fired. Although Nichols was short-tempered with everyone, Hoffman said he sensed a particular cruelty directed at him.
As an example, he recalled a scene in which Katharine Ross had to slap him. Nichols ordered 27 takes, meaning Hoffman was slapped 27 times, and the scene was eventually not used in the film.
Sources: ANSA Cultura.