The two movies Robert Redford hated every second of: “That wasn’t easy to deal with”
Some actors don’t want to be movie stars, and that’s fine. Unfortunately, Robert Redford was undoubtedly a movie star, even though it was the furthest thing from his mind.
It’s his own fault, really. He was handsome, charming, charismatic, and he also happened to be a good actor who made a lot of good movies, many of which were box office hits and awards season favourites. He didn’t want to play the game, but because of his many gifts, he was forced to take part.
If anything, Redford could have been a much bigger star than he was, and he was a pretty big star. He was right up there alongside Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman, Burt Reynolds, and Clint Eastwood as one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men, but he actively shunned the mainstream.
Most performers in his position would use Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as the springboard toward solidifying A-list status, which was easily achievable when Redford’s name was at the top of most casting wish lists. Instead, he moved heaven and earth to push Jeremiah Johnson through production.
That became a recurring theme, with the star shunning the easy paycheques in favour of the strongest material. That said, he did agree to play the title role in 1974’s The Great Gatsby, which he came to regret. On paper, Redford was ideal. In practice, he felt the life slowly being squeezed out of him by a one-dimensional character.
He admitted he felt “somewhat restricted by the fact that there was an artificial part to him because he wasn’t really who he was,” and it came across in a surprisingly stilted performance. He was aware “that was sort of the point I think that the director wanted to make,” but that didn’t mean he was happy about it, and he’s unlikely to be remembered as the greatest Gatsby.
A decade later, Redford thought he was onto a winner when he reunited with his longtime friend and collaborator Sydney Pollack for Out of Africa. Again, on paper, it was a winner before and after the fact: The film earned almost a quarter of a billion dollars and won seven Academy Awards, including ‘Best Picture’, but the leading man was miserable.
He’d grown close to co-star Meryl Streep, and Pollack didn’t like it. Even though it was their sixth picture together, Redford revealed that Pollack had become increasingly irritated with their off-camera camaraderie, and “that wasn’t easy to deal with because I felt l was in a vice, and I became resentful,” which naturally didn’t lend itself to too many happy memories.
Out of Africa was the stronger movie by far, but Redford wasn’t a happy camper during shooting. It’s one thing to have a miserable time working on a film, but it’s another matter entirely to have one while being directed by one of his closest friends in the industry, even if the adulation and awards may have helped soften the blow somewhat.
As for The Great Gatsby? It didn’t live up to its title, but it still earned money, which had to do.
