Dustin Hoffman Thought He'd Be Fired From 'The Graduate'

[Brian Damage]

Dustin Hoffman was convinced he'd be fired from the set of classic movie The Graduate. The paranoid Oscar winner was left fearing the worst after producers decided his then-roommate, Gene Hackman, was badly cast in the film.

Hackman had signed up to play the part of Mr. Robinson - a role eventually taken by Murray Hamilton - in the 1967 film, when studio bosses decided they didn't want him.

So Hoffman spent the remainder of the movie's shoot worrying about suffering a similar fate.

He says, "I thought I was going to be fired while I was making it. Gene Hackman was (originally cast as) Mr. Robinson and we were rehearsing and I have this memory of us both going to the bathroom at the studio. He's in one urinal and I'm about six urinals away, and he turns to me and he says, 'I'm getting fired today.' I said, 'Gene, what are you talking about?' And he said, 'I'm going to get fired today.' And he did (get fired). So once he got fired I thought I was on the line. So not only did I not think it was going to be a hit, I thought it would wind up starring (Robert) Redford."

[OH Nuts!]

Interesting. Just goes to show you that sometimes we're our worst critics. But I bet that feeling that "I'm not good enough" works as a powerful goad to give the very best you can--and obviously many (myself included) think he's a wonderful actor.

[Ireneparalegal]

Did you all know that the famous leg shown in the movie poster belongs to Linda Gray from DALLAS? She was a young model at that time. She went on to play the role of Mrs. Robinson on Broadway.