What Dustin Hoffman has said about Method acting

4 quotes · 1 episode · Nov 9, 2026

Dustin Hoffman, American actor who got Hill his first audition, has been quoted on Method acting 4 times in 1 episode of SmartLess, most recently on November 9, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.

In their words

  • Hoffman advises actors to observe behavior, imitate it, and then find its source within themselves.

    “you notice things, and then you try to ape it, and then you try to find what's in you where you do that thing that that guy is doing”

    SmartLess: "Dustin Hoffman" (Nov 9, 2026) · Listen from 14:29

  • Hoffman says his generation succeeded because 1960s audiences wanted male stars who looked like ordinary people.

    “The guys in the audience wanted to see people on the screen that looked like them”

    SmartLess: "Dustin Hoffman" (Nov 9, 2026) · Listen from 19:35

  • Hoffman defines good acting as doing a moment freshly, in a way never done before, while being truly in the present.

    “Can I do it in a way that's never been done before? Can I do it in a fresh way?”

    SmartLess: "Dustin Hoffman" (Nov 9, 2026) · Listen from 21:36

  • Hoffman disputes that his generation invented good acting, noting great actors before method acting.

    “There always was good acting. It wasn't called method acting, and every actor has a different interpretation of what method acting is”

    SmartLess: "Dustin Hoffman" (Nov 9, 2026) · Listen from 1:01:11

Episodes

  • "Dustin Hoffman"

    SmartLess · Nov 9, 2026 · 1 h 8 min

    Dustin Hoffman joins SmartLess hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes to discuss acting craft, Rain Man, Tootsie, Laurence Olivier and his memoir Look at Me.

Others on Method acting

Dustin Hoffman on other topics