Robert Redford names the easiest role of his career: “I almost felt guilty getting paid”
On paper, acting doesn’t seem like a particularly taxing job. They turn up, put on a costume, get their makeup applied, and then spend the day pretending to be somebody else. Obviously, there’s a lot more to it than that, even if Robert Redford admitted to lucking out with the easiest role he ever played.
Some stars turn up, do the work, and go home to enjoy their downtime, whereas others spend months before a single frame has been shot preparing for their latest immersive turn. There’s no right or wrong approach, and it’s entirely in the eye of the beholder how they go about their work, but it’s tantamount to sacrilege for any performer to admit what they’re doing is easy.
Certain roles require the person playing them to completely alter their appearance, accent, and personality; others require little more than a change of clothes. Redford was firmly in the latter camp when it came to the character who fit him like a glove, and its effect on his position in Hollywood was nothing short of transformative.
“There’s a piece of me in every part I play, but every few roles fit me as comfortably as some people think,” he told the Saturday Evening Post. “Sundance was about the only role that did. I felt so good in it that I almost felt guilty getting paid.”
Co-headlining the classic western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was the movie that strapped a rocket to Redford’s back. He was already a known commodity on stage and screen before the 1969 classic’s release, but anchoring a box office juggernaut and awards season phenomenon that placed him on equal footing with one of the biggest stars in the business was a huge turning point.
Clearly, it helped that Redford didn’t have to dig too deep to find his way into the part. Sundance is charming, charismatic, and carries himself with a quiet confidence that makes it patently clear to the audience he’s every bit as smart and quick-witted as he thinks he is. Those sentiments also apply to the actor who brought him to life, so it’s easy to see why he didn’t have to stretch himself.
That’s not to say his performance is simply Redford playing Redford, although it’s obvious from watching George Roy Hill’s timeless buddy flick that the person and the part aren’t a million miles apart from each other. Not only could he not believe his luck that he was getting paid to do it, but the knock-on effect from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid would inform the rest of his career and become an integral part of his legacy after he founded the Sundance Institute a little over a decade later.
