Actor Dustin Hoffman Talks About Fame, Sense of Self and Staying in Character During a Rare 1971 Animated Interview

The most recent episode of the animated video series “Blank on Blank” features a young Dustin Hoffman talking about “famosity”, having a sense of oneself and how his trademark line from Midnight Cowboy was just a matter of staying in character in a rare 1971 interview with WBAI producer Milton Hoffman.

I’m walking here. I’m walking here.” That wasn’t in the script. That was an accident. We were walking across the street, and a cab came by and threatened to ruin the shot. At that moment, I was not Ratso, I was just myself trying to save the scene. Because I had been saying the lines with John Voight, I said it through the character. Maybe that’s what acting’s all about.

image via Blank on Blank