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Dustin Hoffman Trashes PETA and TMZ for Printing 'Distorted' News About HBO Drama 'Luck'
Dustin Hoffman (Featureflash / Shutterstock.com)
In the spring of last year, it was announced that a third horse had died on the set of the HBO drama "Luck," starring Dustin Hoffman. The news sent PETA into full-fledged attack mode, TMZ reported the story, and shortly thereafter, production on the racetrack drama was halted altogether. Now, Hoffman is speaking out, criticizing both PETA and TMZ for reporting the facts of what happened on set incorrectly.
In an interview with FOX News quoted by The Hollywood Reporter, Hoffman said that he's still upset that the show was cancelled because of the PETA attacks:
It still deeply wounds me...Not for myself, not for the show, but the pain they caused 400 crew people to have. And I don’t think they lost a moment’s sleep. It’s completely distorted. Anyone who raises horses knows they break their legs. The accusations they made were distorted. Every time we’d race the horses, we’d rest them. They’d race 20 seconds, then we’d rest them for an hour.
The third horse to die on set -- ultimately resulting in the cancellation of the show -- was euthanized after it reared back and flipped over, striking its head on the ground. An on-set veterinarian determined that euthanization was the best option, according to a statement issued by HBO.
PETA alleged, however, that the show was using unfit, unwell and drugged horses, wasn't treating them properly, and had a callous disregard for their well-being. TMZ picked up the story and ran with it.
TMZ has also responded to Hoffman's accusations, saying that their reporting was in line with the Paulick Report, a horse racing website that ran a piece about what happened on the set of "Luck":
Truth is, the TMZ stories are in sync with what was reported on the Paulick Report.
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Either way, "Luck" is no more.
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