The role Paul Newman only played because Robert Redford turned it down: “Sensational work”
One potential issue that can arise when two high-profile Hollywood stars strike up a close friendship is that they can often end up competing for the same roles, or in the case of Paul Newman and Robert Redford, one of them turns down a part that the other is all too happy to swoop in and take for themselves.
The A-list pairing only made two pictures together, but their names will forever be intertwined. Newman pushed for Redford to be cast as the second title character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which elevated his career to a new level and left the pair showered in critical, commercial, and awards season acclaim.
They’d reunite several years later for The Sting, which would perform even better at the box office and at the Academy Awards, but they never collaborated onscreen again. There were several attempts, and even if the legendary duo never got around to co-starring in another feature, they were often creative sounding boards who’d discuss potential starring roles and projects with each other.
When Redford was contemplating making his directorial debut on Ordinary People, Newman urged him not to, failing to see anything in the script worthy of his buddy’s talents. Of course, the latter was left looking foolish when the former’s first tilt behind the camera earned him the Oscar for ‘Best Director’ at the first attempt.
During the height of their popularity, studio executives all over town would kill to have either Redford or Newman leading a movie. If they couldn’t get one, then there was a distinct possibility their next port of call would be the other, as was the case in Sidney Lumet’s 1982 legal drama, The Verdict.
Redford obtained a copy of David Mamet’s script and attached himself to star, albeit with certain demands. He wanted the alcoholic, down-on-his-luck protagonist, lawyer Frank Galvin, sanded down to remove many of the negative characteristics that were on the page. He even went behind the studio’s back to consult with regular collaborator Sydney Pollack about taking over, and when an agreement between the two parties couldn’t be reached, Redford walked.
After Lumet was hired, The Verdict had a director and a script but no star. The filmmaker opted to approach Newman with the original, unsanitised version of Galvin that Redford had baulked at, and he was thrilled to tackle a part that allowed him to stretch his dramatic muscles in an effort to once again remind the industry that he was more than just a pretty face.
“Paul’s always been one of the best actors we’ve got, but there was that great stone face and those gorgeous blue eyes, and a lot of people assumed he couldn’t act,” Lumet told The New York Times. “He got relegated to leading man parts, and he wasn’t using a quarter of his talent. Now he’s able to cut loose and do sensational work.”
Redford’s loss was undeniably Newman’s gain after The Verdict notched five Oscar nominations, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’ for the script the film’s first choice wanted to alter so drastically, not to mention another ‘Best Actor’ nod for the icon who ultimately played the part.
