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Back when the classic Newman-Redford pairing was released, the top cast listing showed Redford alongside Newman and Ross. Now, the sequence is different—now it's Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross. Redford, as the legendary outlaw, has become among the most sought-after rising stars since Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. Yet, while somewhat thankful, he remains largely indifferent.

“Not a Hollywood Man”

“I’m not,” he emphasizes, “a Hollywood man. Think of that character who drifts through the play by that celebrated story, repeating, ‘Everything’s unstable—through and through’? In essence, that’s what I feel about Hollywood. You can’t run a creative medium like a business nowadays, but studios keep attempting to. Movies in their eyes resemble vacuum cleaners or refrigerators. The approach sickens me.”

The Struggle with Downhill Racer

Admittedly, we have heard similar things from rising stars. But Redford, in a measured tone, and honestly doesn’t seem to know at the interest in him, seems truly committed. One of the main reasons is that he invested years into a film called the sports drama and found that fighting the system proved more difficult than the creative process.

His project, which hasn’t yet been shown here, despite that sneak previews were being given well before Christmas, debuted in the US and has received reviews implying it’s far beyond action on slopes. “Actually,” says Redford, “it explores competition and competitors. Which is why I want to open it in London is because Brits aren’t avid skiers. The odds are better of it surviving here as an examination of character depth rather than a certain kind of sport.”

“Producers aimed to open it where skiing reigns, targeting enthusiasts. But, really… here is a movie which shows a US athlete earning the top prize on the slopes. Wouldn’t that impress them? Wow, just as long as I stay away. It would be brutal.”

The Allure of Downhill Racing

“Why choose this sport? Because it seems to me a unique combination of poetry and danger, the perfect vehicle through which to show what sport sometimes does to men. It requires being fearlessly committed to participate. Having tried it, you are never quite the same again.”

“I’d like you to see all those downhill veterans lingering around the boys doing it now. It’s sad. Restless constantly. Their hands move restlessly the whole time. They’re worn out. Competition proves brutal, for pros and amateurs alike. Often it prepares you only for the wrong things, even breaks you utterly.”

Redford’s Athletic Past

Having been an athlete himself, formerly a first-class dual-sport standout, potentially famous as a tennis player also. “Christ, defeat frustrated me,” he recalls, “but in the end I reached a point I had to stop, win or lose. I used to look at the guy over the net pondering—goodness, his left sock is coming down. His shoe is going to murder his skin soon, but he’s oblivious on the match that he won’t even feel it. Next, I’d spot a person in the crowd, and reflect: ‘What the hell is he thinking just now? Am I merely his proxy?, living his aspiration? By which time I’d already lost!’”

Artistic Ambitions

An earlier interest, perhaps secretly his main one, is painting. He wandered across Europe extensively back then, meeting creative minds and thinkers, some authentic, some not. He ran out of money in that beautiful city, but met a teacher that set up displaying his paintings funding his return trip. Back home, his restlessness again got the better of him. He ended up an actor, first on Broadway, then television, and then movies.

His film roles, Barefoot in the Park, Polonski’s Tell Them Willie Boy is Here, Cassidy, and Downhill Racer followed in quick succession. Up next was Little Fauss and Big Halsey, centered on bike racing with Michael J Pollard. Subsequently, possibly a movie about modern rodeo. Competition appears following him for some time to come.

And what about painting? A pause follows. “Um,” he responds, “I’ve not painted in years. Which is why I’d like to take a rest from acting and resume. But can you really start again? Probably not. It’s not a hobby, right?. It requires a lifelong commitment. That said, this trip has stunned me regarding art. I feel compelled to create.”

“Notice the illumination here in London. Incredibly beautiful. Each dawn I’ve been here I rise at dawn strolling amazed. Unprecedented anything like it. I’ll be back again soon. If it gets a release—assuming it does.”

A Nod to Paul Newman

“If only I were as savvy as Paul Newman. He would have ensured that such a movie received proper treatment this way. Consider his work? “Absolutely. But he too can’t constantly defy the establishment.”