Robert Redford, who has died at the age of 89, once admitted that he was paid “practically nothing” for his iconic role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The Hollywood acting legend, director and activist, known for such roles as The Sting, The Candidate, All the President’s Men and A Bridge Too Far, passed away today (Tuesday, September 16), his publicist has announced.
Robert, who founded the Sundance Film Festival, died at his home in Sundance in the Utah mountains. He was surrounded by loved ones, according to reports.
An environmental advocate who also championed the rights of Native Americans, Robert was once dubbed “a chunk of Mount Rushmore levered into stonewashed denims”. Over the course of his career, he starred in more than 50 films and won a Best Director Oscar for his 1980 movie Ordinary People.
Yet, the award-winning actor is perhaps best known for his role in the acclaimed 1969 film, Butch Cassidy, where he starred alongside Paul Newman.
However, in an archive interview shown in BBC’s Talking Pictures, Robert detailed in a chat with Michael Parkinson how he hadn’t been “known” enough at the time the film was being made and confessed he did the role for “practically nothing”.
In a special broadcast of BBC’s Talking Pictures, the programme examined legendary collaborations between cinema’s biggest names. One partnership featured Robert Redford and Paul Newman, who maintained their friendship well beyond their celebrated movie.
During his 1980 conversation with Michael Parkinson, Robert looked back on his character and how the opportunity arose. He remarked: “That was the film that went out of whack.
“I had made films before – there was one film that was successful before that, in America anyway.
“But nothing to that degree where it got outsized.”
The performer made the startling disclosure that film executives “didn’t want” him at the time.
“That film was a film that, for me, was very comfortable,” he declared.
“The studio didn’t want me in that film because I was not known.
“They were trying o have a star comparable with Paul (Newman) to be with.
“And I practically did it for nothing, that film, because I just felt comfortable playing that role.”
He concluded: “So it was enjoyable… I probably had more fun making that film than any film that I did.”
Robert has been honoured with numerous awards for his performances in films over the past several decades.
His portrayal in The Voice of Charlie Point earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and he has appeared in a variety of other roles, but it was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid that catapulted his career.
The bond between Paul and Robert was as robust off-screen as it was on film.
Paul passed away in 2008 at the age of 83 after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
Years later, Robert reminisced about his friend’s character, revealing that Paul was a “nervous” individual.
“He was a chatty, nervous guy who was always biting his fingernails,” he shared with The Toronto Sun.
“He used to chain smoke, before he stopped smoking, and was always drinking a beer. He was a very nervous guy.”
