Robert Redford’s first role on the big screen was a minor part in the film version of ‘Tall Story’ (1960), but he got to rub elbows with stars Jane Fonda and Anthony Perkins.
His first major role in a motion picture found him starring in the Korean War drama ‘War Hunt’, which tells a story about a war-ravaged lieutenant and his platoon trapped on the enemy’s side. This film led to a lead role starring Alex Guinness in another movie, this time a comedy. It was called, ‘Situation Hopeless”. Soon enough, he starred in the 1965 film ‘Inside Daisy Clover’, which won him a Golden Globe award for the best new star.
A Fish Tale
Just to get gigs, Redford often worked for nothing, or near nothing. One such time was when he was offered $75 to appear on a TV game show. It would be his television debut. The only problem was that when payday came, the naturalist and budding actor did not see a single penny. The producers insisted he takes an expensive fishing rod and calls it even.
In the end, it gave him an entertaining story to tell and also some inspiration for his well-known film 'A River Runs Through It'.
The Roots of Sundance Institute and Arts Center
Redford was practically penniless when he took off to Europe to try his hand as an artist. When he was ready to make his first real estate investment, he pulled together $500 for a down payment on two acres of land in the Provo Canyon, just outside of Park City, Utah. It was the perfect retreat from Hollywood. He and Lola built their first house on the property, an eco-friendly design powered by solar energy. The area included a ski resort at the bottom of Mt. Timpanogos, named Timp Haven, which he would eventually rename 'Sundance'.
As years went on, he expanded the property to include 7,000 acres with quarter horses, farmland, and a fishing pond. From two small acres to thousands, this is where the first Sundance Film Festival in 1978 was located, becoming, as we all know by now, one of the world’s most prestigious festivals for independent films. The overwhelming success of the event would later require the Sundance Film Festival to be relocated to Park City.
Too Handsome to Cast
As Redford’s career hummed along, he came across a role the director would not cast him in. Looking for an actor to portray the awkward Benjamin Braddock in the 1967 film 'The Graduate', director Mike Nichols screened Redford but eventually turned him down for Dustin Hoffman, who turned out to be the perfect fit.
As Nichols tells it, “Robert wanted the part. I said, ‘You can’t play it. You can never play a loser.’ And Redford said, ‘What do you mean? Of course I can play a loser.’ And I said, ‘O.K., have you ever struck out with a girl?’ and he said, ‘What do you mean?’ And he wasn’t joking.” The director simply could not envision Redford playing a young college graduate, and a virgin, struggling to get a girl.
The Blonde Stereotype
One thing Redford tried desperately to avoid was being typecast as the good-looking blonde guy. “This constant reference to me being the way I looked made me crazy like I was being put into a cage", Redford lamented. But it’s also true that Hollywood is a magnet for the prettiest people. Observe, that one of the differences between a modern Hollywood heartthrob and Redford is he doesn’t pose or flex or try to look good. It’s like he can’t help it.
Nevertheless, Redford wanted to be cast for his acting skills—for his craft, instead of his face. “The notion is that you’re not so much of an actor, you’re just somebody that looks well,” he said. Adding, “That was always hard for me because I always took pride in whatever role I was playing.” Later in life, the actor found a bit of an escape from the stereotyping, “The nice thing about getting older is you don’t have that so much anymore.”