What should have been a normal movie screening became a subject of controversy after Richard Dreyfuss reportedly offended several audience members. The actor apparently went on a rant during a Q&A at a Jaws screening. Dreyfuss touched on the #MeToo movement as well as transgenderism.
Some in the audience called out the actor afterward for his remarks. Now, the Cabot Theater is distancing itself from the actor. Cabot executive director J. Casey Soward apologized to audience members.
"We regret that an event that was meant to be a conversation to celebrate an iconic movie instead became a platform for political views — we take full responsibility for the oversight in not anticipating the direction of the conversation and for the discomfort it caused to many patrons," Soward said. "We are in active dialogue with our patrons about their experience and are committed to learning from this event how to better enact our mission of entertaining, educating and inspiring our community."
Additionally, The Cabot also sent an email to those who purchased tickets for the event. They apologized for Dreyfuss and his remarks. You can also find the email below.
Movie Theater Apologizes For Richard Dreyfuss
"Dear Cabot Patrons,
I am writing to address an important matter concerning last night's event with Richard Dreyfuss at The Cabot.
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.
At The Cabot, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of our community. The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect our beliefs, and we do not endorse them in any way.
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.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of The Cabot."
Dreyfuss began his Q&A by wearing a dress and dancing to Taylor Swift. He earned applauds for his entrance, but things quickly went off the rails after that. One person described his comments as "vile, dehumanizing, abhorrent things about trans youth, LGBTQ+ people, women and survivors of sexual violence."
Audience members also started walking out.
