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Robert Redford Didn’t See ‘The Sting’ Until 2004?

Photo of Robert Redford in 'All Is Lost'

Pretty excited to see Robert Redford in his new seafaring drama, All Is Lost. But here’s a weird passage from today’s New York Times profile of Redford:

He seldom watches his movies. He didn’t see “The Sting,” a smash hit in 1973, until 2004 when his grandson suggested it at Christmastime. “I thought it was a really good movie,” Mr. Redford marveled. 

Really? He didn’t see his own Oscar-winning movie for 31 years? Even when he looked so good?

So you make a movie, it wins best picture and six other Academy Awards (including Edith Head‘s last costuming Oscar), and you’re nominated as best actor… and you don’t see it? At all? He should get a special Academy Award for Diffidence just for that. 

You really do have to be built a little funny to be a great actor or writer, I guess. But godblesshim anyway. He’s been in a bunch of awesome movies.

And yes, he’s already seen All Is Lost. Director J.C Chandor attended the Sundance Film Festival in 2011, and took a novel approach to landing Redford for this film: he asked him.

“In 30 years of supporting new artists and Sundance labs and the festival, no one ever came to me and asked me to be in a film,” Mr. Redford said. “Maybe they thought I was above it.”
What a great tidbit. Looking forward to the film.
 

See our full Robert Redford biography »

 

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