This week on the channel +5.5M views this week

Dustin Hoffman brings near-quits and taxi trouble to GQ

His Iconic Characters retrospective anchors four new uploads, alongside Nicholas Hoult, Pete Davidson, Matt Damon and Andrew Garfield.

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GQ Story of November 15, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.

Dustin Hoffman Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters

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Things we can learn from the video

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4:00Hoffman nearly quit Rain Man on day one; Barry Levinson encouraged him to persist with subtle improvisations.
13:57Hoffman felt wrong for The Graduate, later drawing on his brother's mannerisms to find Benjamin Braddock.
23:09Hoffman recalls how he and Robert Redford learned each other's lines for All the President's Men.
28:59A real taxi interrupted a Midnight Cowboy shot, prompting Hoffman's improvised "I'm walking here!"
37:04Hoffman describes phone calls with Steven Spielberg and Robin Williams that helped bring Hook together.

Dustin Hoffman nearly fired himself from Rain Man on the first day. In GQ's "Dustin Hoffman Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters," he recalls director Barry Levinson encouraging him to stay with the subtle, repetitive improvisations that helped shape Raymond Babbitt.

That uncertainty makes a revealing thread through the retrospective. Hoffman remembers feeling wrong for The Graduate, then finding a way into Benjamin Braddock through his brother's mannerisms. Later comes a very different kind of improvisation: the real taxi that interrupted a Midnight Cowboy shot and prompted "I'm walking here!"

At roughly 269,000 views, the interview is the most watched of GQ's four new uploads and its busiest video right now. Viewers are drawing up an encore program, asking about Kramer vs. Kramer, Papillon and even Master Shifu. Others focus on the care Hoffman takes to praise his collaborators, particularly Robert Redford during the All the President's Men discussion.

The rest of the week offers different ways into an actor's working life. How to Rob a Bank co-stars Nicholas Hoult and Pete Davidson test their knowledge of each other in a Friendship Quiz. Matt Damon speaks with Frazier Tharpe about filming The Odyssey in IMAX and Oscar pressure, while Andrew Garfield discusses playing Sam Altman in Artificial with Katherine Stoeffel.

GQ's subscriber count held steady, and its current daily views are less than half their usual level. Nearby in the fashion-and-shopping group, HopeScope added subscribers this week, while Safiya Nygaard also has a quieter daily audience than usual. Away from the new interviews, GQ's month-old A Boogie Wit da Hoodie essentials episode remains active, with black Timberlands, rings and a family photo among the rapper's selections.

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What viewers say

He needs to come back and do about 10 more movies
@winklestiltskinSee it on YouTube
Haven't watch the whole thing yet but is there no Kramer vs Kramer? Seems an odd one to miss out.
@MikeMJPMUNCHSee it on YouTube
It's absolutely wonderful how an actor of the caliber of Dustin Hoffman is humble enough to add a word of praise after every actor or director that he mentions all across these 45 min... I ended up reading more about so many of these artists... his memoir may be titled "Look at me" but he keeps telling us to look at them..
@dearthofmirthSee it on YouTube

7 more comments

Wow… hearing him talk about Redford make me choke up. That movie is just perfect and it really warms my heart that Hoffman thinks of the film and his costar so highly.
@MoxieKrokSee it on YouTube
Papillon? starring opposite Steve McQueen and one of the greatest movies ever made.
@sinbadasiaSee it on YouTube
What? No Master Shifu!?!?
@kavalakanavaSee it on YouTube
Hook is still my favourite film to this day
@bertvsrobSee it on YouTube
Please make a part 2 episode, he is so wonderful to listen to and his take on things are fascinating. Need more of his movies listed, Papillon and Kramer Vs Kramer being two of them. Thanks.
@haydnevans2978See it on YouTube
Hoffman's still got the fire.
@MitchellEvans-jc6wxSee it on YouTube
I just discovered I can listen to Dustin for hours and be hooked and interested to the last second. LOVE this interview.
@baharam98See it on YouTube