A former co-star has accused Dustin Hoffman of sexual abuse.
Kathryn Rossetter, who starred alongside Dustin Hoffman in both the stage and movie version of Death Of A Salesman, has accused him of a “horrific, demoralising and abusive experience” while performing on the 1984 Broadway production.
Her guest column for The Hollywood Reporter recounts her alleged experience with Dustin Hoffman on the 1984 Broadway production, where she claims he would regularly grope her, grabbing her breast and then removing his hand before any photographs could be taken.
“Whenever he had a picture taken with me, he would put his arm around my rib cage and then grab my breast just before they snapped the picture and then remove it,” she claims.
“He was very skilled at dropping his hand just as the picture snapped to avoid it being recorded,” she added. “Only by luck do I have one such picture – where the camera caught him in the act.”
Hoffman has not commented on these latest allegations, but The Hollywood Reporter has spoken to several people present on the 1984 set who questioned Rossetter’s account, and stated they had not witnessed the conduct she described.
“Night after night I went home and cried. I withdrew and got depressed and did not have any good interpersonal relationships with the cast,” she explained.
“I considered reporting him to Actors Equity. But I was cautioned by some respected theatre professionals that if I did, I would probably lose my job and, because he was such a powerful star, any hope of a career.”
Her allegations continue to include an incident which she alleges exposed her body to the stage crew. “Suddenly he grabs the bottom of my slip and pulls it up over my head, exposing my breasts and body to the crew and covering my face.”
Although Hoffman has yet to comment on the allegations, his lawyers did put THR in touch with several others who had worked with them on the production, including his brother-in-law, Lee Gottsegen, as well as actors Anne McIntosh, Debra Mooney, Linda Hogan, Michael Quinlan and Andrew Bloch.
They each stated that they had not witnessed the alleged misconduct.
In fact, they also called her allegations into question.
“It just doesn’t ring true,” said the production stage manager, Tom Kelly.
