Hollywood’s depiction of guns

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 10 Feb 2013.

You’ve seen him in blockbuster movies, some of them profoundly moving or hilarious, but like many actors there’s a serious political side to Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman.  Describing the depiction of gun violence in Hollywood films is “fraudulent,” Hoffmann claims that studios actively discriminate against actors who refuse to carry firearms on-screen.

Hoffmann said he had tried to avoid films that required him to carry guns because he does not believe they should be part of the entertainment industry.  He said film directors often used violent scenes to bolster a plot because “the script is lacking.”

While many prominent actors, from Quentin Tarantino to Samuel L. Jackson to Arnold Schwarzenegger, refuse to accept any link between violence on-screen and in real life, I’m pleased an actor of the calibre and moral vision of Dustin Hoffmann is willing to speak out and state that Hollywood’s positive depiction of gun violence is nothing short of fraudulent.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.