Dustin Hoffman: 27 Slaps, a Punctured Eardrum — SkimNews
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- Dustin Hoffman called making The Graduate a “terrible experience” in a recent essay for The New Yorker, despite saying the 1967 film changed his life.
- Dustin Hoffman said he initially did not want to audition for Ben Braddock, reasoning that the affluent, all-American debate-team star was an obvious mismatch; his agent persuaded him to screen-test, and he got the role.
- Mike Nichols was frequently sour and irritable with everyone on set, while Hoffman said an added, destabilizing sadism seemed to target him, leaving him often convinced he was about to be fired.
- Katharine Ross was instructed by Nichols to slap Hoffman harder during 27 takes of the scene in which Benjamin learns that his affair partner is Elaine’s mother; the slap was not used in the film.
- Dustin Hoffman reassured Ross that he was okay and asked her not to hit his ear; she missed several times and left him dizzy by the end of the shooting day.
- The Graduate required Hoffman to stay submerged in a scuba suit for an underwater scene; after several takes, blood trickled from his ear, and Hoffman attributed his punctured eardrum to the prior slaps and the pool’s water pressure.
- The Graduate opened in theaters on Dec. 22, 1967, earned seven Oscar nominations and won best picture at the 40th Academy Awards.
Why it matters: Hoffman’s account changes how The Graduate’s production is understood: a 27-take slap sequence was discarded, and Hoffman bled from a punctured eardrum after underwater filming. It also corrects an emphasis on Katharine Ross, who worried about hurting him while Hoffman specifically asked her not to strike his ear.
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