Two-time Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman says Hollywood movies just aren’t what they used to be.

The 77-year-old, who catapulted to international superstardom in 1967 for his role in The Graduate, told The Independent on Friday, July 3 the financial aspects of filmmaking have crippled the industry to the point he’d rather watch TV.

“I think right now television is the best that it’s ever been,” Hoffman said. “And I think that it’s the worst that film has ever been – in the 50 years that I’ve been doing it, it’s the worst.”

Of his first major role, the actor said, “I was a freak accident, so I got a lead that happened to be The Graduate and it was like a light switch went on and I was an instant star.”

That film was shot over the course of 100 days, despite its character-driven plot, but now movies are made in a fraction of the time, thanks to new technology and pressure from studios.

Hoffman isn’t impressed.

“It’s hard to believe you can do good work for the little amount of money these days,” the actor told the Independent. “We did The Graduate and that film still sustains, it had a wonderful script that they spent three years on, and an exceptional director with an exceptional cast and crew, but it was a small movie.”

Since making his directorial debut on 2012’s Quartet, Hoffman also said he has struggled to find a suitable follow-up project, and said, “I’m looking at everything that comes to me, I’m not getting much as far as directing is concerned.”

He also speculated: “I don’t think that has anything to do with whether you are good or not, it’s just about whether your films make money or not.”

In his 50 years in Hollywood, the Midnight Cowboy actor has also seen his place in film come what he calls “full circle.”

“If you are lucky you build up to supporting roles and then to starring roles,” he said,” and then you reach a certain age, and unfortunately women usually reach it earlier, and you are no longer the leading man, therefore you become the supporting actor, which many times is the mentor of the lead.”

“That is full circle,” Hoffman said.