Dustin Hoffman as 'The Graduate' Ben Braddock: 5 Quotes About Iconic Role

Dustin Hoffman's 1967 role as Ben Braddock in “The Graduate” earned him an Oscar nomination in his first starring role. This early success set Hoffman up for his long career in film, television, and stage.

Here are five quotes by and about Ben Braddock and Dustin Hoffman's iconic role in “The Graduate.”

1. “Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you.”
– Ben Braddock
This line was called the 63rd greatest movie quote of all time on the American Film Institute's “100 Years, 100 Movie Quotes” list. Like many other famous movie quotes, this one is frequently misquoted. It's often remembered as “Are you trying to seduce me?”

2. “Plastics.”
– Mr. McGuire, played by Walter Brooke
This punchline of an exchange between Ben and Mr. McGuire at his graduation party also appeared on the AFI list. Coming in at No. 42, this exchange that starts with, “I just want to say one word to you. Just one word,” is considered even more iconic than the Mrs. Robinson line.

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“The line captured everything '60s youth disdained: a corporate job and artificiality,” wrote CNN's Todd Leopold.

3. “Elaine!”
– Ben Braddock
In the final scene, Ben finally reaches the church where Elaine Robinson is getting married. He screams her name while banging on the window, and she runs off with him.

Stephen Marche, of Esquire, described the scene as “one of the most widely parodied shots in American Cinema.”

4. "It was his first movie role, and it not only made him a big star but it helped redefine just what kind of person could become a movie star.
– A.O. Scott, New York Times critic, on Dustin Hoffman's casting in "The Graduate"

5. “The thought of being recognized? I was traumatized. Everyone left, and we went downstairs, and a woman walking with a cane, slower than everyone else, saw me. She pointed her cane at me and said, ‘You’re Dustin Hoffman, aren’t you? You’re the Graduate.’ I’d never been recognized in public before. She said, ‘Life is never going to be the same for you from this moment on.’ ”
– Dustin Hoffman, to Vanity Fair, on being seen sneaking out of the preview

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