Dustin Hoffman's Worst Work? This Tom Cruise-Led 4 Oscars Movie, According To Him
The actor thought that the movie would be a failure, in part because of his performance.
One of the most important movies in Dustin Hoffman's career, Rain Man, not only became a cult classic, but also brought important social issues to the attention of many.
It had a major impact on attitudes toward people with developmental disabilities – in fact, it was the first time that so much attention was paid to a character with an autism spectrum disorder.
Many people learned about the disease for the first time, and funding for charities that help people with intellectual disabilities increased manifold after the movie's release.
Psychiatrist Darold Treffert, an expert on autism, served as a consultant on Rain Man. He believed that no public effort could have brought as much attention to the issue as this movie.
On the other hand, Rain Man has been heavily criticized for creating an overly romanticized image of a person with ASD. In addition, the movie shows a rare side effect of autism called savantism.
This is a condition in which a person with intellectual disabilities can demonstrate some elements of genius: a phenomenal memory, outstanding abilities for certain types of scientific research, including mathematical.
Despite the fact that the role won Hoffman an Oscar, he had serious doubts about the movie's prospects and complexes about his performance.
Three weeks into filming, he even asked director Barry Levinson to fire him because he thought it was the worst movie of his career:
"It was the worst work I had ever done…Get Richard Dreyfuss, get somebody, […] because this is the worst work of my life."
The actor believed that the movie had little chance of success, especially since he did not feel confident in the role.
Over time, however, the actor came to understand his character and was able to deliver a performance that he himself was pleased with.
Although the movie is not a 100% realistic portrayal of a person with an autism spectrum disorder, there are subtle details that really reveal the condition of people with ASD.
For example, Dustin Hoffman appears in profile in most of the dialogue, his character never looks directly at the camera. This emphasizes Raymond's peculiarity of not making eye contact with other people.
The only exception is the final farewell scene with Charlie.
Source: Deseret News