Richard Dreyfuss’ son Ben has defended his father after an unhinged rant during a $300-a-head screening of his legendary film Jaws.
The 76-year-old actor appeared at a Jaws-themed event in Beverly, Massachusetts, where the 1975 blockbuster film he starred in was filmed, and proceeded to make derogatory comments about women, LGBTQ+ people and diversity.
‘My father and I disagree on many things. But it is a free country. People are allowed to have different opinions on things,” journalist Ben Dreyfuss, 37, wrote on X on Tuesday.
Dreyfuss, who played a marine biologist in the film, walked on stage in a blue dress with floral patterns, which stage workers helped him take off before he put on a sport coat.
During what was supposed to be a light-hearted question-and-answer session, some people in the audience walked out because of his comments about women in film and the #MeToo movement, transgender youth and LGBTQ+ rights, and the Academy Awards’ efforts to promote inclusivity to improve. .
Richard Dreyfuss, who played a marine biologist in the movie Jaws, walked on stage in a blue floral dress
His son Ben, son Ben, defended him after his rant at a $300 a head screening of his legendary film Jaws
His son Ben, one of the co-founders of the progressive magazine Mother Jones, had previously laughed off the controversy.
“Wow, I was just looking at my phone and heard about the disgusting, outrageous behavior of one of my family members,” he said on X, adding a screenshot of a family member telling him they had an Android instead of an iPhone .
He continued, “Re: My dad, well, now you know why I refused to give him the password to his own Twitter account for ten years, lol.”
Ben went even further to clarify his comments about his father’s statements, saying the tabloids had lied about how he really felt.
He wrote: ‘I really can’t say if I agree with him or not. I am a strong supporter of transgender people undergoing whatever medical procedures they wish to undergo after a certain age in consultation with their doctor.
‘But I don’t really know what that age should be. I don’t have a young child and I’m not an expert. These two truths about me are also truths about my father. His opinion on gender reassignment therapy for adolescents, like my opinion, means nothing. It has no consequence.
Dreyfuss appeared at The Cabot in Beverly, Massachusetts, for a question-and-answer session, followed by a screening of Jaws, the megahit that launched his career in 1975.
‘I want transgender people to be able to benefit from the best medical science available and live full and dignified lives. I also don’t want teenagers to make permanent life-changing decisions that they will regret. I would like to leave how I can find the right boundary between these two goals to people who know more about this than me or my father.
“Whether my father exactly shares my views on these issues is meaningless to me. Many people disagree with me on certain things. This is America. Everyone is allowed to disagree about everything.’
Ben added: “My father is not a perfect man. I know that better than anyone reading this. But I love him dearly. Don’t ask me to sue him. I will not do it. I especially won’t do it because of thought crimes!’
An attendee at the question-and-answer session in Massachusetts over Memorial Day weekend told DailyMail.Com that the Oscar winner “continued” to make homophobic and racist comments during his performance.
“He started the night wearing a dress and dancing to Taylor Swift and saying this was an LGBTQ moment. I assumed he was rummaging around, later an employee told me he walked around town for a few hours trying to pick one out,” Kerry said.
Kerry said the show then got back on track when Dreyfuss discussed his role in another Steven Spielberg classic, 1978’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
From that point on, however, Kerry said Dreyfuss took off, targeting his Nuts co-star Barbra Streisand. ‘He started saying a lot of sexist things about her, about all women. They’re stupid, they shouldn’t have any power, etc.,” she continued.
Other stories say Dreyfuss accused women of being “passive,” which is why the 1987 film Nuts was “bad.”
Another member of the crowd said Dreyfuss said society “shouldn’t listen to a 10-year-old who says he wants to be a boy instead of a girl.”
Kerry said the atmosphere in the theater quickly soured as many booed the star and some walked out. “Don’t turn into an angry mob now,” Dreyfuss told the crowd, according to Kerry.
Despite the strikes, Dreyfuss received applause when he ended the discussion by referencing his book “One Thought Scares Me…” and his opinion that civics is no longer taught in classrooms, to the detriment of the country.
Dreyfuss pictured alongside his late Jaws co-stars Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw
According to some audience members, Dreyfuss made disparaging comments about Barbra Streisand, his co-star in the 1987 film Nuts.
Cabot Cinema management issued a full apology to patrons who attended Dreyfuss’ performance
The lack of a foundation in civics means that “we have no idea who we are,” he said.
“If we don’t get it back soon, we’re all going to die.”
The Cabot sent an email apology saying it did not endorse the views of the actor, who also starred in Close Encounters of The Third Kind, American Graffiti and The Goodbye Girl, a performance for which he received an Oscar.
The venue’s executive director did not immediately respond to emails Tuesday and a representative for Dreyfuss could not be reached.
“We deeply regret that Mr. Dreyfuss’ comments during the event were not consistent with the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold at The Cabot. We understand that his comments were disturbing and offensive to many of our community members, and for that we sincerely apologize,” The Cabot’s statement read.
Ben Dreyfuss has also been embroiled in scandal before, including last year after he claimed he would never have sex ‘with a fat person’ or make a partner gain weight.