In 1977, the world was obsessed with the stars, but for very different reasons. George Lucas gave us a space opera with clear heroes and villains. Steven Spielberg, however, gave us a man crying over a pile of mashed potatoes. That man was Roy Neary.
Richard Dreyfuss didn't just play Roy Neary; he possessed him. Or maybe the role possessed him. Looking back at Richard Dreyfuss Close Encounters history, the story behind the casting is almost as manic as the character’s descent into obsession.
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The Audition That Was Basically a Heist
Most actors wait for a call. Richard Dreyfuss? He basically bullied his way into the lead. While filming Jaws, Dreyfuss overheard Spielberg talking about his "UFO project." Spielberg initially wanted a "Man’s Man" for the role—someone like Steve McQueen.
McQueen actually turned it down because he couldn't cry on cue. Al Pacino, Gene Hackman, and Jack Nicholson all said no. Meanwhile, Dreyfuss was in the background, bad-mouthing every other actor in Hollywood. He’d walk by Spielberg and whisper things like, "Al Pacino has no sense of humor," or "Dustin Hoffman is too short."
It worked. Spielberg eventually realized he didn't need a traditional hero. He needed an everyman who looked like he was vibrating at a different frequency. He needed the nervous intensity that only Dreyfuss could bring.
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That Famous Mashed Potato Scene
Honestly, the "This means something" scene is the heart of the movie. It’s not the lights in the sky. It’s the domestic horror of a father losing his mind in front of his kids.
Dreyfuss played Roy with a terrifying sincerity. When he’s shovel-feeding mashed potatoes into a mountain shape, he’s not "acting" crazy; he’s portraying a man who has been "implanted." He’s a victim of a cosmic calling that doesn't care about his mortgage or his marriage.
- The Physical Toll: The production was a nightmare. They filmed in a massive airplane hangar in Mobile, Alabama. It was so big it had its own weather system. It would actually rain inside the set.
- The Isolation: Dreyfuss spent weeks staring at nothing. Most of the UFOs were added in post-production. He was reacting to flashlights or just Spielberg yelling, "Look amazed!"
- The Ending Controversy: Roy Neary leaves his family. He just... gets on the ship. No goodbye. No child support.
Why Spielberg Changed His Mind (But Dreyfuss Didn't)
Years later, Spielberg admitted that if he had made the movie after having children, he never would have let Roy leave. He called his younger self "blithe" for writing that ending.
But Richard Dreyfuss? He stands by it. He’s gone on record saying the ending is "unacceptable" to change. To Dreyfuss, Roy wasn't "leaving" his family so much as he was answering a biological imperative. He was a moth to a flame. The family was just a casualty of a higher purpose.
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This tension is why the movie holds up. It’s uncomfortable. We want to root for the guy who finds the aliens, but we feel terrible for Teri Garr’s character, who is watching her life evaporate in real-time.
The Legacy of the Everyman
Roy Neary isn't a scientist or a pilot. He’s a power repairman. That’s the magic of the Richard Dreyfuss Close Encounters performance. He made the extraordinary feel like it could happen to a guy who forgets to take out the trash.
If you’re looking to revisit this classic, don’t just watch the special effects. Watch Dreyfuss’s eyes. He captures that specific 70s brand of "lost," looking for something—anything—to give his life meaning.
Actionable Insights for Movie Lovers:
- Watch the "Special Edition": If you want to see inside the Mothership, watch the 1980 Special Edition. However, many purists (and Spielberg himself) eventually preferred the original cut that keeps the interior a mystery.
- Look for the Easter Eggs: Next time you watch the finale, look at the bottom of the Mothership model. The effects team snuck in a tiny R2-D2 and a shark from Jaws.
- Study the Five Tones: The famous melody wasn't just random. John Williams tested over 300 combinations of five notes before Spielberg settled on the one we know today.
The movie reminds us that wonder comes at a price. Sometimes that price is everything you’ve built on Earth.