Ditched Dreyfuss: I want to teach

Days after being dropped from his starring role in the West End because he could not cope with the "physical rigours" of the performance, Richard Dreyfuss says he would rather be a teacher than an actor.

Hours before leaving the musical stage version of The Producers, the star told friends he would like to go into the classroom.

According to a report in today's Variety, Dreyfuss made the surprise confession at a dinner party in London. The 56-year-old, who played a music teacher in the film Mr Holland's Opus, said he would like to become a history professor in real life.

After confessing his secret ambition, he asked fellow guests at the fundraising dinner: "You guys tell me - can I be a teacher or not?"

The official reason given for Dreyfuss leaving The Producers four days before the opening night is that he was still suffering from shoulder and back injuries as a result of a herniated disc earlier this year.

But one source at the dinner said the actor showed no sign of any pain at the party, chatting "passionately" about politics during the evening, which raised about £7,000 for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign. "He didn't appear to be using morphine to get through the evening," the guest said, adding that he believed the decision to quit the musical had been "very difficult" for the actor. "He didn't walk away casually,'' the source added.

Even before his departure, Dreyfuss had confirmed rumours that he was struggling with the role, made famous on Broadway by Nathan Lane, who will now replace him on the London stage.

In an interview given to the Evening Standard's Metrolife only days before he left the cast of the show, he admitted: "Well, I can't [sing or dance].

"Actually, I sing like a seal and dance like your Uncle Leo at that wedding where he got up and went 'ya ya ya'.

"Now whenever I admit this, there's a co-producer on the show who goes: 'No! No! Don't say that to journalists!' But there's no way for me not to say it because, hey, you're going to ask, right?