At the time the iconic western film was released, the billing showed Newman, Ross, and Redford. These days, the lineup has shifted—now it's Newman, Redford, then Ross. Redford, famed for his role, is arguably the most sought-after male leads after the era of McQueen. Yet, while somewhat thankful, fame means little to him.
Redford’s Stance on Hollywood
“I’m not,” he emphasizes, “part of the Hollywood machine. Do you remember that character who walks in and out William Saroyan’s that celebrated story, who says, ‘It’s all built on sand—from top to bottom’? That’s, that echoes my sentiment regarding the film industry. You can’t run an art form as if it’s commerce nowadays, and they’re still trying to. Films to them are no different from household appliances. I find it repulsive.”
Challenges Behind the Scenes
Naturally, we have heard such sentiments in Hollywood. However, Redford, in a measured tone, appearing genuinely unsure about his own appeal, seems truly committed. One of the main reasons is that he invested years working on the sports drama and found that taking on studios proved more difficult than making a difficult movie.
The film, which hasn’t yet been shown here, even though early screenings were being given well before Christmas, has been released across the Atlantic garnering responses implying that the film is not just a simple sports film. “Actually,” says Redford, “it is about sport and sportsmen. And the reason I aimed to release it here in Britain is because this is not a skiing country. It’s more likely for it to succeed as a portrayal of a certain kind of person as opposed to just athletic action.”
“Producers aimed to release it among ski experts, targeting enthusiasts. But, really… my project which shows an American competitor earning an Olympic gold in the downhill event. Is that really going to wow them? Oh, boy, if only I avoid attending. They’d criticize me harshly.”
Poetry and Danger
“What drew you to skiing? I believe a unique combination of grace and risk, the best way to illustrate how athletics affects individuals. One must be a kind of kamikaze pilot to do it at all. After experiencing it, it changes you forever.”
“Imagine former champions lingering near current athletes. They seem lost. Restless constantly. Fidgeting endlessly the whole time. Physically depleted. Athletics is brutal, both to the sophisticated and the unsophisticated. Often it prepares you only for the wrong things, or destroys you completely.”
Redford’s Athletic Past
Redford should know, in his youth an excellent football and baseball athlete, potentially famous in tennis as well. “Wow, I really hated to lose,” he says, “but in the end it got to where I just couldn’t go on, winning or losing. I used to look at the guy over the net and wonder—well, his attire is messy. His shoe is going to murder that bare ankle soon, but he’s oblivious on winning he doesn’t notice. Next, I’d spot an audience member, wondering: ‘What’s on his mind at this moment? Am I merely his proxy?, fighting his fantasy? By which time I’d already lost!’”
A Secret Love: Painting
Another passion, perhaps secretly his main one, is painting. He wandered through European cities extensively in the late fifties, mixing with bohemian crowds, some authentic, some not. He became broke in that beautiful city, who introduced him organizing a show for his art covering getting back to the US. Back home, his restlessness resurfaced. He ended up an actor, starting in theater, then television, and then movies.
His film roles, Barefoot in the Park, Willie Boy, Butch Cassidy, and Downhill Racer were released rapidly. Up next was a motorcycle film, a film about motorcycle racing with Michael J Pollard. Later, perhaps a film on latter-day rodeo riding. Competition appears dogging him for a while longer.
What of his art? Redford looks a little uneasy. “Well,” he confesses, “I haven’t done it for two years. That’s the reason I want to pause from filming and start again. Is it possible to restart? Unlikely. It’s not a hobby, is it?. It requires your entire focus. That said, my first visit to London has amazed me in this respect. I’m eager to pick up a brush.”
“Observe the sunlight here in London. It’s stunning. Every day I’ve been here I wake early and explored in awe. Unprecedented such light. I must come back before long. If Downhill Racer finally opens—if it ever does.”
Newman’s Savvy
“Wish I was as clever like Newman. He’d have seen to it that my project wasn’t mishandled like this. What about Rachel, Rachel?? “Absolutely. Even he struggles against the industry.”