Hard to believe that it was 30 years ago when Dustin Hoffman transformed himself from out-of-luck actor Michael Dorsey into soap opera star Dorothy Michaels in Sydney Pollack's acclaimed film Tootsie. It was one of Hoffman's most engaging performances and earned the film 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Jessica Lange.

Here the author talks about the making of the film (Dworkin was the only working journalist given permission by both Pollack and Columbia Pictures to be on the set) and what made it so special. The book is full of facts and insights and details. In her opening paragraph, she sets up the whole book:

The whole trick with Tootsie was to get Dustin Hoffman to look like a real woman, so that the characters around him in the movie could believe he was a woman and not appear ridiculous for doing so. In Hoffman's contract, there was actually a clause stipulating that reality had to be achieved before shooting could begin.