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Richard Dreyfuss? Talks Bernie Madoff, Attends Ted Cruz Event In Iowa

By Stephen Jordan
Published on: 07:32 PST, Feb 3, 2016

Richard Dreyfuss as Bernie Madoff — the Jaws actor portrayed the former stockbroker and fraudster who pulled off the world’s biggest Ponzi scheme in the new ABC miniseries, Madoff.

Dreyfuss recently appeared on Good Morning America, where he humorously stated that Bernie Madoff is despicable, but not quite the worst. He says Madoff is “the second most despicable man in modern history because I’ve already played Dick Cheney.”

Bernie Madoff, currently in prison serving his 150-year sentence, is 77-years-old and Richard Dreyfuss, 68, revealed that he gained empathy for the character while preparing to play him. Viewers are sure to be in for a fascinating experience, as they get to witness “what it means to be a sociopath.” The actor may already know a thing or two about that, having portrayed former Vice President Dick Cheney in Oliver Stone’s 2008 biopic, “W.”

“At the beginning, when I first got involved, I thought, ‘No sympathy, this guy doesn’t deserve it,’ ” said Dreyfuss, of the Madoff character. “He had no conscience, he didn’t care about his family, he didn’t care about anything. He actually collected $50 billion or more for his own lifestyle, and that was it.”

Actress Blythe Danner, mother to actress Gwyneth Paltrow, plays Ruth, Bernie Madoff’s wife, in the ABC miniseries. Danner and Dreyfuss recently appeared on The View, talking about their characters. Danner met the real-life Ruth, and thought she was “a lovely woman, surrounded by a lot of love.” She confirms that she had no idea what her husband was doing, and Dreyfuss reiterates that the Madoff character is truly a sociopath.

“He fooled everyone, including the people that were closest to him — his wife and children,” Dreyfuss said on GMA. “And when the stories began to come out and people would say, ‘Did Ruth know?’ or ‘Did the boys know?’ ”

Richard Dreyfuss loved playing the role, and says that it is really a dream role for any actor. Dreyfuss was on set, helping rewrite the script and fine tune his character. He even got to work with his son, who portrays the young Bernie Madoff in the miniseries. Richard jokes that he wants to be counting money and winning awards after this miniseries.

Promotion for the miniseries hasn’t been the only thing Dreyfuss has been up to. The Oscar winner also recently appeared at a Ted Cruz event in Iowa, stating that he was simply “interested in what he has to say.” He would not confirm whether or not he is supporting Ted Cruz in the 2016 presidential race.

Richard Dreyfuss clarifies that while the two do not agree on everything politically, he “reveres the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.” It seems that was more than enough to grab his attention. The actor was curious if anyone in attendance was going to try and revive “the old Republican Party.”

“We need the old Republican Party. I’ve got no problem with saying that,” Dreyfuss stated. It’s safe to say that the actor is not a conservative in every sense of the world — having supported the Supreme Court ruling same-sex marriage legal last year. The actor even called for the impeachment of former President George W. Bush, as well as supporting the call for more gun control.

“When you seek to be the president of a country that has 300 million people, you can’t get everyone on the same platform,” says Dreyfuss. “You can’t. But if you can make it clear that the most important things are shared, then fine.”

Madoff, starring Richard Dreyfuss, airs Wednesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

[Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images]

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