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Back when the iconic western film first premiered, the billing included Paul Newman, Katharine Ross, Robert Redford. Today, the lineup is different—it’s Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross. The actor, the Sundance Kid, has become arguably the hottest male leads following the era of McQueen. Surprisingly, despite his success, he couldn’t really care less.

Redford’s Stance on Hollywood

“I am not,” he states firmly, “tied to the industry. Do you remember that guy who drifts through Saroyan’s famous work The Time of Your Life, repeating, ‘Everything’s unstable—all down the line’? Well, that echoes my sentiment about Hollywood. They shouldn’t operate cinema like a business nowadays, and they’re still trying to do just that. To them, film are just like household appliances. I find it repulsive.”

The Struggle with Downhill Racer

Naturally, we have heard such sentiments from aspiring film men. But Redford, speaking softly, and honestly doesn’t seem to know about his own appeal, seems truly committed. A key factor due to he put almost two years into making his skiing project realizing taking on studios was an even harder job than the creative process.

The film, which hasn’t yet been shown here, in spite of the fact test showings occurred well before Christmas, debuted across the Atlantic earning critiques which suggest that the film is not just than a skiing spectacular. “In fact,” he notes, “it explores athletics and athletes. And the reason I aimed to release it in the UK is because Brits aren’t avid skiers. It’s more likely for it to succeed as an examination of a certain kind of person instead of just athletic action.”

“Producers aimed to open it where skiing reigns, showing it to all the experts. In truth… here is a movie which shows a US athlete getting the top prize in the downhill event. Is that really impress them? Oh, boy, provided that I stay away. It would be brutal.”

The Allure of Downhill Racing

“Why downhill racing? To me a unique combination of poetry and danger, the best way to illustrate what sport sometimes does to men. One must be daring to the extreme to participate. After experiencing it, it changes you forever.”

“I’d like you to see aging skiers hanging about watching newcomers. They are pathetic. They can’t keep still. Nervous habits show nonstop. They are all shot up. Competition proves very cruel, for pros and amateurs alike. Often it prepares you only for the wrong things, or destroys you completely.”

A Competitive History

He speaks from experience, in his youth a first-class football and baseball athlete, and might have succeeded as a tennis player as well. “Christ, I despised losing,” he recalls, “but in the end I reached a point I had to stop, regardless of outcome. My focus shifted at my opponent pondering—goodness, his left sock is coming down. His shoe is going to murder that bare ankle by the end of the set, yet he’s so focused about the game ignoring the pain. Next, I’d spot a person in the crowd, and reflect: ‘What is he pondering at this moment? Am I really just an extension of him?, fighting his fantasy? By which time it was 0–40!!’”

Artistic Ambitions

Another passion, maybe his true calling, is painting. He wandered through European cities for over a year back then, meeting creative minds and thinkers, some authentic, some not. He ran out of money while in Italy, but met a teacher organizing an exhibition of his work which paid for getting back to the US. Upon returning, his urge to move took over. Acting became his path, starting in theater, then television, culminating in cinema.

Projects like Daisy Clover, Barefoot In the Park, a Polonski film, Butch Cassidy, his passion project followed in quick succession. Next is Sidney Furie’s Little Fauss, Big Halsey, centered on bike racing alongside Pollard. Subsequently, maybe a project on latter-day rodeo riding. Athletics seems to staying with him for a while longer.

Did he return to canvases? He seems hesitant. “So,” he says, “I haven’t done it in years. Which is why I want to pause from movies and resume. Is it possible to restart? Unlikely. It demands seriousness, you see. It requires your entire focus. Mind you, my first visit to London impressed me in this respect. It’s made me itch to pick up a brush.”

“Notice the illumination in this place. It’s absolutely fabulous. Each dawn I’ve been here I’ve got up early and explored with my mouth open. It’s unlike anything anything like it. I must come back again soon. Maybe once it gets a release—assuming it does.”

A Nod to Paul Newman

“I envy as savvy like Newman. He would have ensured that the film wasn’t mishandled like this. Consider his work? “Yes, of course. However, Newman struggles against the industry.”