ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Did you know anybody who invested with Madoff before you took this job?
RICHARD DREYFUSS: Yeah, I did.
No one had any inclination to say dont, or anything like that.
Credit: Eric Liebowitz/ABC
When the news first broke about the scandal, did you follow his case?
Yeah, but as someone who had other fish to fry.
You could never empathize with him again.
Did you think it was necessary to find a reason to like or respect him before you played him?
Because he was a con artist, and he wanted you to give him your money.
And the only people that you give money to like that are people that you trust implicitly.
And so, he had to be that kind of wonderful character.
Thats who I played.
He was the most selfish man on the planet.
He wasnt helping anybody but himself and his tailor.
Did you think it was necessary to meet him before taking this role?
I doubted that and so I didnt bother.
Yeah, although thats one reason why those scenes are where they are in the film.
So if I watch this, will I understand why he was the worst man on the planet?
Its like trying to understand evil, or trying to understand the Nazis, or whatever.
Youre not going get that.
Youre going get a telling of the human comedy, of the human story.
I would be really arrogant to say that you could understand him.
However, that will take some time.
Does the movie offer any primer on how to invest, a laThe Big Short?
You get the exact opposite, as a matter of fact.
And he turned to them and said, I never traded a stock.
I wouldnt know how to do that.
I was a con artist.
Thats what I think is funny.
Are there laughs in this?
Well, theres a lot of something.
You have to characterize it for what you think it is.
And I wouldnt want to do that for you.
So, you gotta take the ride.
Before I let you go, as an Academy member, what do you think of thenew rule changes?
There have been many years where I havent voted.
So thats how I feel.
Madoffairs Wednesday and Thursday on ABC.
