Recommendations of the Editorial team
The collaboration with Robert Redford of Sydney Pollack’s classic “The Way We Were” from 1973 was “exciting, intensive and pure joy”. Barbra Streisand wrote this in her obituary on the late actor.
Opposites that put on
Like her characters in the film, Katie Morosky and Hubbell Gardiner, she and Redford were “such opposites”, Streisand recalled. “He came from the world of horses; I was allergic to them!” But as in the film, they would always have tried to find out more.
“Bob was charismatic, intelligent, intense, always interesting – and one of the best actors ever,” said Streisand. She also remembered her last meeting: “He came for lunch, we talked about art and decided to send each other our first drawings.”
Redford was “unique”, Streisand continued. “I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to work with him.”
“The Way We Were” became a huge success in his publication in 1972, received six Oscar nominations-including for Streisand as the best leading actress-and won the Oscar for the best song (“The Way We Were” by Marvin Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bergman).
A badly won yes
In her memoirs, Streisand remembered the enormous effort to win Redford for the role of the Hubbell. The actor initially rejected, and the “negotiations went to the last minute,” she wrote (according to “Variety”).
During the shooting of “Up the Sandbox” in Africa, she finally found out that Redford had agreed. “I was so enthusiastic!” She wrote. “The ‘advertising’ was hard, but Bob’s hesitation had a big impact on the script and ultimately led to a richer, more interesting figure.”
Robert Redford died on Tuesday morning, September 16, at the age of 89 in his house in Utah. His death triggered numerous honors from friends, admirers and colleagues, including Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda, John Turturro and Ron Howard.