Dustin Hoffman says The Graduate was a terrible experience

Dustin Hoffman says his star-making role in 1967's The Graduate was, in his own words, a "terrible experience." The actor opened up about filming the classic in a new essay for The New Yorker, per Variety.

He writes he felt "immediately uncomfortable" and "unworthy" on set, worrying director Mike Nichols was angry at him and had miscast the role. Hoffman states the film "exacerbated all my insecurities from the start," questioning why he was cast as the Waspy Benjamin Braddock.

The actor claims Nichols became "frequently sour" during filming, a change he found "shocking" and "destabilizing." Hoffman says he often felt he was about to be fired.

He details a specific scene where Nichols made co-star Katharine Ross slap him for 27 takes. Hoffman says he told her to hit him harder, but to avoid his ear. He claims the repeated takes left him dizzy, and the slap wasn't even used in the final film.

The next day, Hoffman says he shot an underwater scene and later noticed blood trickling from his ear, which he attributes to the slapping and water pressure puncturing his eardrum.