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At the time the classic Newman-Redford pairing was released, the credits included Paul Newman, Katharine Ross, Robert Redford. These days, the sequence has changed—now it's Newman, Redford, then Ross. Robert Redford, famed for his role, is arguably the most sought-after new box office properties after the era of McQueen. Surprisingly, while somewhat thankful, fame means little to him.

Redford’s Stance on Hollywood

“I’m not,” he emphasizes, “tied to the industry. Recall that figure who drifts through Saroyan’s famous work The Time of Your Life, who says, ‘There’s no foundation—all down the line’? Well, that echoes my sentiment about Hollywood. You can’t run an art form as if it’s commerce nowadays, but studios keep attempting to. To them, film are no different from consumer products. I find it repulsive.”

A Passion Project’s hurdles

Naturally, we have heard all this before in Hollywood. But Redford, speaking softly, appearing genuinely unsure about his own appeal, seems truly committed. One of the main reasons from he devoted nearly two years working on the sports drama and found that taking on studios was an even harder job than filming itself.

The film, still unreleased in the UK, despite that sneak previews occurred months ago, has been released in America earning critiques which suggest it’s not just a simple sports film. “Actually,” says Redford, “it is about athletics and athletes. That’s why I prefer its debut in London as skiing isn’t big here. There is more chance that it will be appreciated as a portrayal of a certain kind of person as opposed to just athletic action.”

“Studios preferred to premiere it where skiing reigns, targeting enthusiasts. However… here is a movie which shows a US athlete getting an Olympic gold in the downhill event. Isn’t that thrill them? Wow, if only I stay away. I’d be torn to pieces.”

The Allure of Downhill Racing

“Why choose this sport? Because it seems to me a unique combination of grace and risk, an excellent means to illustrate what sport sometimes does to men. It requires being a kind of kamikaze pilot to even attempt it. After experiencing it, it changes you forever.”

“Consider former champions staying around around the boys doing it now. They are pathetic. They can’t keep still. Their hands move restlessly continuously. They are all shot up. Competition proves brutal, both to the sophisticated and the unsophisticated. It might train you inadequately for life, even breaks you utterly.”

From Sports to Stardom

Having been an athlete himself, formerly a top-tier football and baseball athlete, and might have succeeded on the court too. “Wow, I despised losing,” he recalls, “eventually it got to where I had to stop, regardless of outcome. I used to look at the guy over the net and wonder—goodness, his left sock is coming down. His shoe is going to murder that bare ankle soon, but he’s oblivious on the match that he won’t even feel it. Next, I’d spot an audience member, and think: ‘What’s on his mind at this moment? Am I merely just an extension of him?, fighting his fantasy? By which time the game was gone!’”

The Forgotten Canvas

An earlier interest, maybe his true calling, is painting. He traveled across Europe for over a year in the late fifties, mixing with creative minds and thinkers, pseudo and otherwise. He ran out of money while in Italy, yet encountered a mentor organizing displaying his paintings which paid for getting back to the US. When he got back, his dissatisfaction took over. He turned to acting, initially on stage, later TV, culminating in cinema.

Projects like Daisy Clover, Barefoot In the Park, a Polonski film, the western, the skiing movie followed in quick succession. Up next was Little Fauss and Big Halsey, depicting speed and rivalry with Michael J Pollard. After that, maybe a project on latter-day rodeo riding. Competition appears staying with him indefinitely.

What of his art? Redford looks a little uneasy. “So,” he responds, “I’ve not painted recently. That’s why I need a break from acting return to it. Is it possible to restart? I doubt it. It demands seriousness, you see. It’s got to be the whole of life. However, being here in London has amazed me regarding art. It’s made me itch to paint.”

“Observe the sunlight in this place. It’s stunning. Each morning since arriving I rise at dawn and explored with my mouth open. I’ve never seen such light. I need to return again soon. If Downhill Racer finally opens—if it ever does.”

Respect for a Colleague

“If only I were as savvy as him. He’d manage that the film wasn’t mishandled like mine has. Consider his work? “Indeed. However, Newman can’t constantly defy the industry.”