Dustin Hoffman once feared for his life after being caught having an affair with a married woman. The 89-year-old actor recalled the frightening encounter. He revealed that the woman’s husband walked in on them with a gun and ordered him to leave. Hoffman shared the story during a November 9 appearance on Conan O’Brien’s podcast while promoting his upcoming memoir, Look at Me.
How an affair left Dustin Hoffman fearing for his life
Recalling the incident from his younger years, Hoffman explained that the woman believed her husband would remain asleep after going to bed. The Oscar winner said, “I was having an affair with a married woman.” He added, “And she thought that once her husband went to sleep, that he stayed asleep.”
However, things took a terrifying turn when the woman’s husband entered the room with a gun. The Graduate star recalled, “And there we are having a festival of sorts and he walked in with a gun.” He continued, “And he pointed at me. And he said, I remember what he says, ‘Get out, get out.’”
Hoffman recalled fearing for his life as he stared down the barrel of the gun. He explained, “When you have a gun pointed at you, first of all, that hole is much bigger than the actual hole.”
He continued, “And you realize how, any second, any second he’s going to pull that trigger, because his finger is on the trigger. And you think … and you realize, it’s it … I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die the next second.”
The actor added that fear could drive someone to desperate measures. He said, “And you do anything, you will do anything, you know, to avoid getting killed.”
Hoffman also reflected on difficult moments from his career in the memoir. According to Page Six, he described filming the 1967 classic The Graduate as a “terrible” experience. He recalled how director Mike Nichols‘ constant criticism left him anxious and questioning his casting. At one point, Hoffman said he felt so overwhelmed that he never wanted to “make another movie again for the rest of [his] life.”
Despite the challenging production, the film became a major success, earning Hoffman his first Academy Award nomination and Nichols the Oscar for Best Director in 1968.
Hoffman’s memoir, Look at Me, was released on November 10, 2026.
