Hoffman Recalls 27 Slap Takes on The Graduate

Dustin Hoffman says filming Mike Nichols’ 1967 film The Graduate was deeply stressful and intensified his insecurities about being miscast as Benjamin Braddock. In an essay drawn from his forthcoming memoir, Hoffman recalls that Nichols was supportive during rehearsals but became critical and irritable during filming, leaving him anxious he would be fired. He says Katharine Ross slapped him during 27 takes of a scene that was ultimately cut; he recalled feeling dizzy after the blows and a day of underwater filming, which left him with a punctured eardrum. Despite the difficult production, the film became a classic, Nichols won an Oscar for directing, and Hoffman received his first Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe. Hoffman’s memoir, Look at Me, is scheduled for release on November 10.