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Richard Dreyfuss blasts The Project, but TEN stands firm.

Actor unhappy over "light and friendly" chat on The Project, but sources say they were clear about the questions in advance.

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Hollywood actor Richard Dreyfuss has lashed out at The Project hosts Hamish Macdonald & Lisa Wilkinson following a live interview this week in which he was asked about sexual harassment allegations.

This morning Dreyfuss read a lengthy prepared statement on Today Extra.

“I was mugged the other night in Sydney, Australia. Not by a petty thief but by the host and hostesses of a talk show called The Project. Kathleen Turner and I had been invited on the show to have a light, friendly chat about the autograph show we were participating in Sydney and then Perth. As that invitation to a specifically light and friendly chat was being repeated to us by two or three of the show’s staff, questions were prepared and entered into the teleprompters that could be referred to by Lisa Wilkinson and Hamish Macdonald, two of the hosts.

“Light and friendly did not survive until the end of the first sentence. It was directed as a question to Kathleen: Something about, ‘Has Hollywood changed in the last year in its treatment of men towards women?’ The second question was directed at me by Lisa.”

On The Project this week Dreyfuss responded to Wilkinson’s questions admitting he was a “dirty dog” between 1979 – 1983 saying “I did a lot of things I’m ashamed of now, but they were culturally supported as all men know, and as all women know. They just don’t want to remember it that way.”

He added, “The idea that it was not consensual, and that it was kept from me, is horrifying.”

As he continued to address issues, by referring to Senator Al Franken, the programme began to wind up, leaving the chatty guest frustrated and pointing the finger to someone off-camera.

Sources at The Project are rejecting his surprise claims saying it has correspondence with Dreyfuss’ publicist about their questions. They also indicate they offered the chance for just Kathleen Turner to be interviewed solo if he was uncomfortable.

The original interview can be seen at tenplay.

TEN has been approached for comment.

This post updates.

22 Responses

  1. Whoever is in charge of putting up the end titles on The Project each night must have one of most sensitive hands in TV! They don’t just cut off the guests, they also cut off the hosts while wrapping up the show. I’ve long thought they should run to 7.40 to give the interviews a bit more time, or at least be more flexible to allow a conversation to end properly!

  2. By this time all actors and people in the public view will have their own script to follow when asked about #MeToo.
    The time is fast approaching when Social Media is declared “publishing” and will have to obey defamation laws. When that happens those people who irresponsibly throw mud can no longer hide behind the cloak of anonymity and many will crawl back into the woodwork.
    People must be held accountable for their actions but even serious crime has a statute of limitations.
    Perhaps the Turnbull government should legislate that “The Project” should follow the ABC’s “fair and balanced” rule. #FatChance.
    /end PreachyRant.

  3. Slightly off topic but I was a huge Kathleen Turner fan in the day; what a sexy woman. It’s sad to see how hard she has done it in the intervening years. I watched the episode of Pamela Stephenson’s ‘therapy’ series one on one with Kathleen and it engendered huge compassion within me for her. I also loved Richard Dreyfus in The Goodbye Girl – it’s one of my all time favourite films. The lesson here for the Project producers is hopefully give the requisite time for a segment befitting ‘Hollywood Royalty’ as the hosts kept referring them to; or start the segment earlier or pre record it. Give them the respect at least for time. I thought Lisa did a good job with her questioning.

  4. Sorry I’m late to this party, but thank you for posting the link to the actual segment David; as I saw the follow up last night on the Project and recall reading a couple of your commenters saying that the pair had been cut off rudely. There’s several things going on here, methinks. Producers of the show or director not allocating enough time for the segment; impossible to know how Dreyfus or Turner would answer the heavier content. I believe Hamish that the actors were given courtesy of the content in advance; Dreyfus with remorse a little about his answers, more i think the ego that he was cut off and the segment over so hastily.

  5. This is purely my personal opinion, but they were there to discuss Supanova, what was wrong with sticking to the topic? Asking someone to talk about sexual accusations seems like a headline grab to me and not really appropriate in the context of the show. Saying that we spoke to his publicist and said if he didn’t want to answer we are happy to do the interview without him sounds like ‘you answer our questions about this accusation or we won’t give you screen time’. There is a time and place for that conversation and a ‘career highlight discussion and comic con’ do not seem to be the time or place for such a discussion. If you were offended by him in regards to the accusations, why invite him on the show at all? Or why not set up a special report on it and ask the serious questions with a decent interviewer and have him well prepared for the talk, I kind of feel it was an…

    1. I agree, they were only on the Project due to a fan event, Supanova. The questions should have been in relation to their careers and fans. As a fan who won’t be able to see Richard on the weekend, I feel I’ve missed out on an opportunity to here more about his career. I didn’t watch the Project to hear about Richard’s views on MeToo, particularly when they were given so little time to speak. I’m not impressed with the Project and will stay clear of the show in the future.

      1. Agree there were problems with the allocated time, but it’s a news show and the question was on topic. They would be remiss not to ask it especially given Dreyfuss’ recent public statements.

  6. I saw it live. I thought both actors handled it with dignity and it would have been better thi let them talk. Dreyfuss spoke with remorse at past behaviour. It was insightful. Turner also had much value to add. It’s a pity they were cut off. They could have continued on and featuref the discussion the following night

  7. I think The Project has integrity and believe them when they say that Dreyfus’s publicist was aware of the metoo questioning, however, I think it was clumsy and perhaps unfair to bring it up with only a few minutes to go. I would love to have heard more from Turner.

  9. I thought The Project leaned toward the semi-satirical as its format even though the political jokes tend to fall flat more often than not, relying on canned laughter to save Peter Helliar some silent embarrassment. Richard Dreyfuss is a man of the past but all the same is a celebrity guest and should not have to endure what can only be described as a publicity stunt which apparently has got the media click bait result Lisa Wilkinson wanted.

      1. This type of interview technique is not unknown on 7 and Nines morning shows, its good for making network publicity promos. Karl Stefanovic is also very good at making clickbait headlines too, courtesy of News Corp.

  10. Am assuming this is sarcasm (?)
    He did say ““I did a lot of things I’m ashamed of now”.
    Funny how these people are oh so anxious to appear on every program they can score to promote their tour/book/dvd/movie/perfume/range of kaftans, etc. etc. but don’t like answering questions about things other than what it is they want free commercial airtime to flog.

  11. I don’t think he appeared ambushed, he seemed annoyed that he was rambling and was cut off and couldn’t finish………. but he didn’t seem surprised by the question.

  12. Ten should read their social media posts more often and see what their audience thought of the interview. It was embarrassing to watch (what there was of it as they cut it short again as they usually do) I usually like Lisa but I just don’t think she suits The Project style of show. Give her a program of her own.

  13. Such ambushing grubs – you wonder why more and more fine celebs are shunning Australia and cancelling out of our convention circuit. Now you know. Their careers and reputations are being ruined by unsubstantiated claims in the US. Australia used to be a place where you could get away from all that. Not any more.

      1. I’m betting they don’t. It’s just empty RWNJ rhetoric to back up an unsupported and irrelevant point, with only the power of indignant opinion – or possibly a Russian botfarm – behind it.

        Don’t normally watch The Project, but happened to see the whole interview when I turned over. It was a weird mess – a con promo that Lisa attempted to turn into a worthwhile discussion, that they’d tried to shoehorn into the crack before MC.

    2. If that’s what Australia used to be, can you go back there and not take the rest us? I’m happy that ‘grubby’ self admitted ‘dirty dogs’ can’t come out and pretend they haven’t recently been #metooed

    3. “more and more fine celebs are shunning Australia and cancelling out of our convention circuit”. Who?
      “Their careers and reputations are being ruined by unsubstantiated claims in the US. Australia used to be a place where you could get away from all that.”
      Didn’t he, himself, say “I did a lot of things I’m ashamed of now”, in Australia?. Hardly “unsubstantiated claims” when he made the statement himself.

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