Dustin Hoffman Turned Down This Martin Scorsese Classic

Although the industry has innumerable young and talented directors working today, there’s no living filmmaker who represents the institution of filmmaking quite like the great Martin Scorsese. With over half a century and dozens of great films under his belt, Scorsese is perhaps the most influential artist of his generation, and seems to still approach his craft with the same enthusiasm that he did in his youth. Beyond his incredible work behind the camera, Scorsese has helped to produce and promote films by the next generation of great directors, and often chimes in when discussing relevant issues of film discourse. Given his undeniable reputation, it can be challenging to remember that Scorsese was once a scrappy young filmmaker who was having trouble getting his project made. Scorsese hit a hurdle during the production of Taxi Driver when the A-list star Dustin Hoffman turned down the lead role.