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Martin Scorsese, a big-shot filmmaker, is known for showing his harsh and sometimes super violent side of American life. His movies are no joke, which made him a super famous director from the ’70s till now.
Scorsese has directed twenty-seven feature-length narrative films and seventeen feature-length documentary films to date. He won an Oscar for his movieThe Departed(2006).
He is one of the most important filmmakers, especially in the late 1900s and early 2000s, producing movies likeThe Aviator, Raging Bull, andGoodfellas.
His movieTaxi Driveris one of his masterpieces, which shows how loneliness can hit you hard, like a virus, and can become your life support. The movie earned four Academy Award nominations, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Actor’ for De Niro.
Also Read:“Thank you. Just go back to New York”: Dustin Hoffman Believed He Would Be Fired from His Breakout $104M Movie Despite Beating Marvel Star Robert Redford for the Role
Dustin Hoffman dissedTaxi Driverand Labeled its Director As “Crazy”
Before De Niro was cast as Travis Bickle, they were eyeing other big names likeDustin Hoffman. Right, the same actor who rocked it inThe GraduateandMidnight Cowboy,with both movies earning him Oscar nods.
It’s shocking to imagine an actor brushing off one of Scorsese’s awesome ideas. But the scoop is — back in the day, Scorsese wasn’t the mega-respected director he is now. So, when Hoffman discussedTaxi Driver, he didn’t like the idea of the director even referring to him as “crazy.” He explained this toDigital Spyin 2007,
“I remember meeting Martin Scorsese. He had no script, and I didn’t even know who he was. I hadn’t seen any of his films, and he talked a mile a minute, telling me what the movie would be about. I was thinking, ‘What is he talking about?’ I thought the guy was crazy! The film was Taxi Driver. I made so many dumb mistakes [turning down movies]. The list is endless.”
Instead ofTaxi Driver,the actor did two flicks in the same year (1976). First up wasAll the President’s Men,where he teamed up with Robert Redford. Then he hooked back up with hisMidnight Cowboydirector, John Schlesinger, forMarathon Man, which was a box-office hit.
Also read:“I tried to get out of the booth”: After Assaulting Meryl Streep for Real, Dustin Hoffman Left Tom Cruise Disgusted With His Despicable Act in $412M Oscar Winning Movie
Dustin Hoffman Regrets Turning Down Some of the Major Classics
Dustin Hoffman noted he has certainly had a few oops moments over his long career. In an interview withTODAY, the 78-year-old spilled the beans, saying he had a weird issue with success. He loved theClose Encounters of the Third Kind(one of the all-time sci-fi greats!) script in 1977 but still didn’t want to do the role. He continued saying:
“I turned Woody Allen down four times. I turned ‘Schindlers List’ down. I turned [director Frederico] Fellini down. I turned [director Ingmar] Bergman down.”
It’s clear that besidesTaxi Driver, he made the mistake of turning down some of the serious movie classics. According to an interview withThe Guardianin 2012, the Hollywood star said he also passed on movies likeAmistad, the romance movieAlways.
WatchTaxi Driveron Netflix.
Also read:“I have a feeling we are going to work together”: Jack Nicholson’s Devilish Charm Failed on Geena Davis After Oscar Winner Used 1 Sly Dustin Hoffman Trick
Also read:Digital Spy,TODAY
Shreya Jha
Articles Published :1042
Meet Shreya, FandomWire’s go-to Pop-Culture Writer. She holds a master’s degree in Journalism and a pop culture obsession that rivals even the most die-hard ‘Star Wars’ and Marvel fans.Her articles have been published in Animated Times, Creator Mail, and The Luxxe Mag. When Shreya’s not busy dishing out hot takes, she is lost in the world of rom-coms.
