All people wanted was to go and see Jaws.
A special screening of Jaws featuring a Q&A with the film’s star, Richard Dreyfuss, ended abruptly after the actor allegedly made sexist and transphobic remarks, leading to numerous walkouts.
The event, titled “An Evening with Richard Dreyfuss + Jaws Screening,” took place on Saturday, May 25, at The Cabot theater in Beverly, Massachusetts. Attendees anticipated an evening filled with behind-the-scenes insights from the iconic film. However, according to reports by Deadline, they were instead subjected to Dreyfuss’s opinions on trans youth and the Academy Awards’ inclusivity rules.
Although no official transcript of the event has surfaced, social media posts indicate that Dreyfuss’s controversial comments began while discussing Barbra Streisand and escalated thereafter. Notably, Dreyfuss made his entrance wearing a dress to Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” which set the tone for the unexpected turn of events.
One attendee expressed their discontent on The Cabot’s Facebook page, stating, “We walked out of his interview tonight along with hundreds of others because of his racist, homophobic, misogynistic rant.”
In response to the backlash, The Cabot issued a statement on Monday, May 27, apologizing to those who attended. “We are aware of, and share serious concerns, following the recent event with Richard Dreyfuss prior to a screening of the film Jaws at The Cabot,” the statement read. “The views expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold as an organization. We deeply regret the distress that this has caused to many of our patrons.”
The statement further acknowledged the unexpected shift in the event’s tone, saying, “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.”
The statement concluded by reaffirming the venue’s commitment to its audience: “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.”
The incident has sparked widespread discussion and raised questions about the responsibilities of public figures during live events.
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