Robert Redford has made his return to acting after a six-year hiatus.
The 88-year-old star, known for his iconic roles in films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, has been one of the most recognised figures in cinema since the 1960s. Robert’s career spanned decades, with multiple Oscar nominations and an Academy Award win for Best Director in 1980 for Ordinary People. He was also honoured with a special lifetime achievement Oscar in 2002.
His last on-screen appearance was in Avengers: Endgame in 2019, where he reprised his role as Alexander Pierce, a character he had previously portrayed in the Captain America films. Now, after a lengthy break, he has returned to acting with a role in the psychological thriller Dark Winds. Set in the 1970s, the show follows two Navajo police officers investigating a double homicide.
Although Robert had been involved with Dark Winds as an executive producer, he returned to acting in the latest episode. He appeared in the season three opener, sharing a scene with A Song of Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin. The two played prisoners in a chess game, with Robert reportedly persuading Martin to take part. After some convincing, the scene was filmed, as reported by Vulture.
Director Chris Eyre created a history for the characters, portraying them as troublemakers who had caused a disturbance while intoxicated in a nearby town and were subsequently sent to the Navajo Nation. The scene was shot on a closed set, at Robert’s request. Fans of Dark Winds were excited to see the iconic actor back on their screens, marking a long-awaited return after years away from acting.
This marks a brief return from retirement. Back in 2018, Robert announced his retirement at the age of 81. He confirmed that he was making good on a vow he made two years prior not to appear in front of the camera again after completing his final movie, The Old Man &, The Gun, which was released later that year.
He said: “Never say never but I pretty well concluded this would be it for me in terms of acting, and]I’ll] move towards retirement after this ‘ cause I’ve been doing it since I was 21”. He did not rule out directing again. “We’ll see about that”, he said. Robert is one of the most widely admired Hollywood stars of his generation, with iconic roles including Bob Woodward in All the President’s Men and the title role in The Great Gatsby.
He is also celebrated for his fierce commitment to environmental causes, independent film-making, and his Sundance Film Festival. His big break came in 1967 in Barefoot in the Park, starring opposite Jane Fonda. She once said of him: “I was so in love with Bob. Nothing ever happened between us but he was fabulous to kiss. I couldn’t wait for the cuddling scenes]but] he doesn’t like to do love scenes”.
When producers began to cast 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, they wanted a co-star as established as leading man Paul Newman. Warren Beatty, Marlon Brando, Jack Lemmon and James Coburn were all considered but Paul’s wife Joanne Woodward urged him to look at Robert.
Robert said: “When the studio didn’t want me for the film he stood up for me. I don’t know how many people would have done that”. The friendship became one of Hollywood’s most enduring. Over the years they took on brotherly characters. “We both got to know each other’s flaws pretty well”, Robert said. “We just played them to the hilt and we’d try to trick each other”.
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Source: Mirror
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