Why did Robert Redford initially reject co-star Barbra Streisand?
Over the years, we’ve seen many doomed and misguided romances dominate our screens, shattering the hearts of audiences around the world as we collectively commiserate over the one that got away in La La Land and the devastating fate of Jennifer and Oliver in Love Story. While some of these relationships come across as overdramatic and, at worst, completely toxic, we revel in the highs and lows of the full spectrum of love and infatuation as we watch these stories unfold.
But there is one infamous film from this genre that went on to become one of the blueprints for on-screen romance, defining decades of subsequent stories despite the many creative clashes that happened during pre-production.
Barbara Streisand has come to be known as a triple threat within Hollywood, known for being an EGOT winner and breaking records in both the film and music industries. After her delightfully chaotic and charismatic performance in What’s Up Doc?, she was then cast in The Way We Were in 1973. But while the director Sydney Pollack was enamoured by her co-star Robert Redford and had no doubt that he would elevate the picture to new heights, the pair weren’t entirely convinced by the decision to cast Streisand.
Pollack and Redford expressed concern over working with the singer turned actor, who was supposedly ‘controlling’ on set, with Redford saying, “She’s never been tested. Her reputation is as a very controlling person. She will direct herself. It’ll never work”. There was also some doubt over whether her musical background would change the nature of the film, with some worrying that she would burst into song and change the tone of the film.
Because of this, there was much back and forth during the casting process, with Streisand saying she would only star in it if Robert Redford was playing the lead alongside her and the studios pushing for Ryan O’Neal to star in this role after the success of What’s Up Doc? However, Pollack knew that if Streisand was cast, there was only one man who could hold his own against her, saying, “Barbara had never worked with a really strong leading man. She has a tendency to take over a picture, just by the size of her talent and larger than life presence. It’s hard for a co-star to stay in the same ring with her”.
But Pollack believed that Redford would be able to stand his ground, saying, “In acting, you have to sense that there’s a reserve somewhere, that you’re seeing the top of the iceberg. Redford makes you come to him as a performer. He holds his ground, and you either enter his turf or you don’t get it. Period. He will not court you…I spent literally eight months beating him to death in order to get him to do it. I would not let him off the hook.”
Despite the fact that time were chasing circles around both actors in trying to get them to commit to the film, the production eventually went ahead, becoming infamous for the tangled romance of conflicting values and polar opposite characters. Many fans were eagerly awaiting the idea of a sequel to the story, but it never happened, and the film remains as another enigma between co-stars who had strained relationships behind the scenes but managed to create wonderful chemistry on-screen.
