Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney

Richard Dreyfuss plays Dick Cheney in Oliver Stone's "W" movie about the life and times of George W Bush.

Richard Dreyfuss Speaks Out on 'W.' and Oliver Stone

Written by bigpicture on

I give Richard Dreyfuss credit for making these comments about Oliver Stone and W. on The View this week. You might think a guy who wanted impeachment charges brought against George Bush would take his shots about a figure as divisive as Dick Cheney, who Dreyfuss portrays in the film.

But Dreyfuss appears to give each question about the film serious consideration and answers them honestly. Elizabeth Hasselbeck asks what he thought of W. and Dreyfuss questions, as have a lot of us who have seen the film, where Oliver Stone was really going with it. The comments that would probably get the most attention in this video are when he says of Stone, "You know, you can be a fascist even when you're on the left." I suppose that means he didn't care for his time on the set, or at least working with Stone. But plenty of directors are known for being taskmasters, Stone included.

His answers have generated a lot of attention, particularly from the left, like the reaction in The Huffington Post. But for the most part, I don't see anything either out of character for Dreyfuss, who has always been outspoken, or deliberately unfair.

Perhaps the irony here is how great Dreyfuss is as Cheney. If W. had been a film more about the administration and its power plays beneath the highest office in the land, it would have the historical legs Dreyfuss talks about. He did his part in the movie, though, and I have zero objection to a guy saying his movie that's currently in theaters has some problems, particularly when it's a topic of so much discussion anyway.

Toward the end of the clip, Dreyfuss discusses one of his current passions, the re-institution of civics classes in public schools. It's a little dry for the talk show circuit, but it gives you a more well-rounded look at his philosophy.

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