MOVIE NEWS – Esteemed actor Richard Dreyfuss has ignited controversy on social media with his outspoken disapproval of the new diversity standards for nominees in the Oscars’ Best Picture category.

“They make me vomit,” Dreyfuss candidly expressed on PBS’ Firing Line. “This medium is an art form. While it serves as a commercial venture that earns money, its essence lies in art. As an artist, I should not be coerced into conforming to the most up-to-date, prevalent idea of morality.”

The rules, established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are slated for implementation beginning in 2024. Margaret Hoover, the host of Firing Line, inquired of Dreyfuss, “Starting in 2024, films will have to meet new inclusion criteria to be considered for the Academy Awards’ Best Picture category. A specific portion of actors or crew members must come from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups.”

Dreyfuss went on to say, “And what are we risking? Are we really risking hurting people’s feelings? You can’t legislate that. And you have to let life be life.”

The lead actor of Jaws contends that “there isn’t a minority or a majority in the nation that should be indulged in such a manner.”

Dreyfuss, who received an Oscar for Best Actor in 1977 for his performance in The Goodbye Girl, commended Laurence Olivier’s blackface portrayal of Othello.

“Am I being told that I will never have a chance to play a Black man?” Dreyfuss questioned. “Is someone else being told that if they’re not Jewish, they shouldn’t play the ‘Merchant of Venice?’ Are we crazy? Don’t we know that art is art?”

Hoover proceeded with a follow-up inquiry, “Do you think there’s a difference between the question of… who is allowed to represent other groups… and the case of blackface explicitly in this country given the history of slavery and the sensitivities around Black racism?”

“There shouldn’t be because it’s patronizing,” Dreyfuss retorted. “Because it says we’re so fragile that we can’t have our feelings hurt. We have to anticipate having our feelings hurt, our children’s feelings hurt. We don’t know how to stand up and bop the bully in the face.”

The full interview can be watched below.

Forrás: Deadline