***WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
A woman has accused Dustin Hoffman of sexually harassing her while she interned as a production assistant on the set of the 1985 TV film, “Death of a Salesman” when she was just 17.
Actress Anna Graham Hunter told The Hollywood Reporter that Hoffman was “openly flirtatious” with her, asking for a foot massage, groping her bum and talking about sex to her.She said, “One morning I went to his dressing room to take his breakfast order; he looked at me and grinned, taking his time. Then he said, ‘I’ll have a hard-boiled egg … and a soft-boiled clitoris.' His entourage burst out laughing. I left, speechless. Then I went to the bathroom and cried.”
Hunter kept quiet about the alleged harassment until recently, but says that she has copies of mailed letters to her sister describing the encounters. The writer said she felt conflicted about the situation because there were so many positive experiences on the set, including dancing polka with Charles Durning and hanging out with the crew on long days.
She wrote, “And yes, I loved the attention from Dustin Hoffman. Until I didn’t.” She wrote, “At 49, I understand what Dustin Hoffman did as it fits into the larger pattern of what women experience in Hollywood and everywhere. He was a predator, I was a child, and this was sexual harassment. As to how it fits into my own pattern, I imagine I’ll be figuring that out for years to come.”
Dustin Hoffman apologized for the alleged 30-year-old act of sexual harassment.
The now 80-year-old Oscar winner released a statement, hours after this story was published.
He said, “I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am.”