Kathryn Rossetter, who played Hoffman’s mistress in the 1984 Broadway performance of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, said he groped her on stage every night and ignored her requests even as she broke down in tears pleading to leave her alone.
Most Twitter users immediately spoke out against Hoffman’s indecent behavior, and even called him, though a highly likeable movie star, "a creep":
#DustinHoffman, another rich, #Hollywood elite who thinks he can grope at leisure! #MeToo #Fuckhim https://t.co/GUTizHC0YC
— Tejas Marine 🇺🇸 ▄︻̷̿┻̿═━一 (@Tejas_Marine) 9 декабря 2017 г.
In light of the newest set of allegations, I just want Dustin Hoffman to have this note. Dustin, when things get hard, everything you need to know is right in here. pic.twitter.com/94in1FJ8Zh
— Michael Swaim (@SWAIM_CORP) 6 декабря 2017 г.
Rossetter said: "Dustin would whisper, 'higher, higher,' trying to get me to move up his pants legs toward his genitals. I didn’t do it."
In addition to assaulting her on a daily basis, Rossetter said Hoffman also grabbed her breasts any time they took pictures together, the Daily Mail reported.
The 66-year-old actress called being harassed by her "hero" as "horrific" and "demoralizing", adding she is still dealing with the consequences.
The job, she said, abruptly turned into "a horrific, demoralizing and abusive experience at the hands (literally) of one of my acting idols."
"My issue isn't what he said, it's what he did. Along with the nightly sexual harassment, he eroded my confidence, my dignity. He humiliated and demeaned me. He robbed me of my joy in the experience and he left dirty fingerprints on my soul," she added.
There are, however, ironic voices on Twitter, saying that if sexual misconduct allegations appear at the pace recently set, Hollywood will soon become deserted:
Another Dustin Hoffman accuser comes forward….Drip…Drip….By this time next year there may not be any actors left standing in Hollywood. https://t.co/k7z4OjOOJ7
— Seymour Sludgeworth (@SSludgeworth) 8 декабря 2017 г.
Rossetter told her story in her own words in an essay for the Hollywood Reporter, published on Friday, closely following the harassment allegations of Anna Graham Hunter, who used the same medium to voice her protest.
The award-winning "Tootsie" and "Rainman" star has not yet commented on the fresh allegations, but flatly denied the claims made by his former intern Hunter, saying he did not remember the episode from over 30 years ago. He labeled the cited conversations on the stage as typical of actors’ extended "family."
The other day, comedian John Oliver confronted Hoffman on stage about a sexual harassment allegation, offering an audience to see the renowned actor being publicly grilled. A storm of social media reactions followed then, most people hailing Oliver's effort as gentlemanlike:
This owns, and is what every journo should do if they’re interviewing a man accused of sexual misconduct https://t.co/6gtbom3cJq
— eve peyser (@evepeyser) 5 декабря 2017 г.
PSA: John Oliver's call out to Dustin Hoffman's face is EXACTLY what men should be doing in this in time. Look other men in the face, tell them you know they're lying, and demand better. Men who abuse need to be put in their place by other men.
— Claire Cunningham (@ClaireisCunning) 5 декабря 2017 г.
John Oliver's got balls steel for reminding Dustin Hoffman he's not a victim to his face.
— Jailain (@jailainhollon) 5 декабря 2017 г.
*Note: It's a little sad men need balls of steel to call out sexual predators to their faces. pic.twitter.com/u16mIxGiYm
Hollywood has recently been shattered by an outpouring of sexual harassment stories which began to penetrate the entire world’s media in October with claims against cinema mogul Harvey Weinstein. The famed producer and co-founder of the cinema company Miramax has been accused by more than 100 women of everything from intimidation to rape with the allegations going 20-25 years back. Yet, no cases have been brought to court.
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