Although the Sundance Kid and real-life bandit Butch Cassidy had a strong friendship, actor Paul Newman disclosed that he had certain grudges against the youthful Robert Redford during the filming.
The fact that Redford played Harry Longabaugh, the Sundance Kid, and Newman played Robert LeRoy Parker, also known as “Butch Cassidy,” were convincing in their portrayals of the Wild West buddies, infamous criminals who were evading the law following a series of train and bank robberies, is a true testament to their acting prowess.
One of the best Westerns ever made, the 1969 film on the real-life outlaws took home four Oscars. The two attractive heartthrobs reunited for another caper movie, The Sting (1973), four years later.
Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward. (Photo by ALBAN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Newman and Redford are both legends and together, they made magic happen. But have you ever wondered how the Hollywood stars got along off the set?
Playing Butch at the age of 44, Newman admitted that he desired the part portrayed by the younger Redford, who was 33 at the time.
“We bounce off each other real well, and we have a lot of fun together,” Newman stated in an interview with the BBC’s Talking Pictures. “I would have liked to have played Sundance,” he added. With that cooled-out quality, I feel a little more at ease. It’s the easiest part, I guess!
Redford was a rising star who won a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year for his role with Natalie Wood in the 1965 movie Inside Daisy Clover.
Newman had already reached superstar status after appearances in films like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Elizabeth Taylor (1958) and Cool Hand Luke (1967).
It was after Steve McQueen turned down a part in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid–he later turned down Dirty Harry (1971), The French Connection (1971) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)–when Redford was cast, playing next to Newman, who was collecting awards in both acting and directing.
The BBC reports that according to Newman’s biography, “The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir,” the two stars weren’t really friends at the time.
Newman said, “You can’t depend on Redford. You’re never sure he’s going to be there. That’s simply discourteous.”
Claire Newman Soderlund, Newman’s youngest daughter, whom he fathered with his second wife Joanne Woodward, stated that she thinks their conflicts stemmed from their different work styles.
“My father was very particular about timeliness, and that was never really his strength,” she said. Dad had a difficult job. He put a lot of effort into it because he wanted to succeed and be good, whereas Bob was more of a free spirit.
The promotional still for George Roy Hill’s 1969 film “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid” features American actors Paul Newman (1925–2008) as Butch Cassidy and Katharine Ross as Etta Place. (Image courtesy of Getty Images/Silver Screen Collection)
When Newman died of lung cancer in 2008, Redford, now 86, spoke with ABC News and said, “It was just that connection of playing those characters and the fun of it that really began the relationship,” he said, reflecting on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. “And then once the film started, once we went forward, we then discovered other similarities that just multiplied over time, a common ground that we both had between us, interests and so forth, and differences.”
After playing the iconic outlaws and then cons in The Sting, Newman and Redford explored opportunities to work together on a third film, but it never came to fruition.
It almost happened in A Walk in the Woods, the 2015 film adaptation of Bill Bryson’s 1998 book of the same name. Another buddy movie, the story follows two out-of-shape older men and their goal of hiking the rugged Appalachian Trail.
Redford, who starred and produced the film, selected this script in 2005, with his real-life buddy Newman in mind.
Speaking with Yahoo in 2015, Redford said, “It started with Paul, because Paul and I had been looking for a third film to do together. A lot of time had gone by, and I just couldn’t find it. When I read this book… I thought of Paul right away.”
Redford, who was 79 at the time of the interview, claimed that he submitted the book to Newman, who was unsure of his ability to fulfill the role’s physical requirements. Nick Nolte was eventually cast in the part.
Since they originally filmed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Newman and Redford, both highly acclaimed actors, have developed a close bond.
The actors, who lived in Connecticut just a mile apart and had tight families, grew to be like brothers.
On November 6, 2006, in New York City, actors Paul Newman (L) and Robert Redford attend the Sundance Institute’s 25th anniversary celebration at Metropolitan Pavilion. (Image via Getty Images/Evan Agostini))
Speaking after his buddy died, Redford said, “We both got to know each other’s flaws pretty well. Of course, I outweighed him on that front. But knowing each other’s flaws, we just played them to the hilt and we’d try to trick each other. We’d try to surprise each other, and it was so damn much fun that it became like–it became like a scenario unto itself.”
“Paul really enjoys having a good time and laughing, and he particularly enjoys laughing at his own jokes, some of which are just really bad,” he continued. As a result, you would lose sight of the joke and begin laughing with him as you were so engrossed in his enjoyment of them.
Playing the classic combination, Paul Newman and Robert Redford had a great rapport! What do you think of their friendship in real life and their on-screen partnership?
