Sexist Hoffman and cult Tootsie: how the legendary was created

How was the tape of a bygone era created, which is not ashamed to be reviewed today?

Initially, the film was planned to be called Would I Lie to You?, but in the process, Dustin Hoffman himself suggested renaming it to Tootsie. According to one version, this nickname was given to the actor by his mother, often calling him “TootsyWootsy”.

Many filmmakers are convinced that the image of Michael and Dorothy was independently invented by the actor, who included in the female image the character traits of his mother, who never waited for the release of the picture. During filming, Hoffman realized that he would not make an attractive woman that would meet the standards of beauty of that era, which is why he decided to create such an interesting lady.

Before each shooting day, the actor had a 2-hour preparation, which included hair removal of all parts of the body that betrayed a man in him. True, after 4 hours the work had to be curtailed due to the stubble growing on the face of the Hollywood star.

Dorothy was originally planned to be blonde, but the filmmakers themselves quickly changed their minds, believing that it would look too cheap and elementary. Well, they obviously didn’t go wrong with that. Yes, and the glasses on it should have been absent due to glare, but the spray solved this problem.

By the way, before filming, Hoffman decided to try out the female image in real life, declaring in this form to his daughter’s school and introducing himself as an aunt. The plan worked, and no one suspected a dirty trick in this “interesting woman.”

Although Tootsie is associated with comedy, director Sidney Pollack wanted the actors to approach their characters as dramatic characters in a funny situation. According to him, he succeeded, because no one laughed during the filming.

By the way, the film could not come out at all due to the frequent disputes between Hoffman and Pollack. After the weekend, they got together to discuss the script, and it all turned into a farce. In addition, the director himself has repeatedly stated that he did not want to take on this film at all, but, fortunately, changed his mind.

Initially, other candidates were considered for the lead role, including Robin Williams. The choice was made in favor of Hoffman, but, as you know, Williams still later reincarnated as a woman in the film “Mrs. Doubtfire.”

But finding a partner for Hoffman was more difficult. The actor wanted to play with Goldie Hawn, but she refused to participate. The singer Cher was also considered for the role, but they took Jessica Lange, who was not very eager to play in this picture. She won an Oscar for her supporting role.

The notorious Bill Murray also appeared in the picture, whose name did not appear in the credits. This was done so that the comedy component was not expected from the film, as from the same “Gol Club”, in which he starred earlier. But the appearance of the actor in Tootsie was not originally planned at all.

It was suggested that he be added to the film later, as he was perfect for the role of a hero who revealed Dorothy’s attractiveness throughout the tape. True, the lines for him were practically not invented, so most of what Murray said was improvisation.

Thanks to “Tootsie” Hoffman redefined the attitude towards women. Arriving home after filming, he burst into tears in front of his wife and stated that he had always been a sexist, blindly following beauty standards. Since the actor played not the most beautiful, but very interesting woman, he realized that it was wrong to judge people solely by their appearance.

The picture was released in wide release in 1982 and immediately became a real hit, collecting 177 million dollars on a budget of 21. The most curious thing is that interest in it continues to persist. For example, in 2015, Time Out polled 70 famous actors and asked them to make a list of their 10 favorite films. In most cases, the film “Tootsie” became the leader, overtaking the legendary “Godfather”.

And in 2018, a musical of the same name was made based on it, which is still popular today.

Have you watched Tootsie? If so, how would you rate this picture?