Whenever we lose another industry great, you’ll always hear people say that there will never be another person quite like them. This can be said tenfold for the exemplary Robert Redford, who sadly just passed away at the age of 89. The beloved actor leaves behind a wealth of great works with roles in generation-defining films like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “All the President’s Men,” “Three Days of the Condor,” and “The Sting.” Redford also made his name from behind the camera with such directorial efforts as “The Horse Whisperer,” “Quiz Show,” and the Academy Award-winning domestic drama “Ordinary People.” When it came to uplifting the voices of independent filmmakers from around the globe, Redford sure put his mouth where his mouth was by founding the Sundance Institute. Having even one of these accomplishments in your résumé would be an incredible honor.
Redford’s influence was vast, but no one could fully recapture the one-of-a-kind magic he possessed. He made it all look so easy because he was a natural charmer who could burrow his way into the hearts and minds of audiences like no one’s business. There were very few doors his mustaches, bodily scruff, and exceptionally selected taste in wardrobe couldn’t get him into, that is, except for one. The film ended up being Mike Nichols’ “The Graduate,” which could have potentially starred Redford in the starring role instead of Dustin Hoffman.
While Charles Webb’s 1963 novella was being optioned to turn into a feature film, Redford made it abundantly clear that he so badly wanted to be a part of it. The odds became that much greater when Nichols was attached, having already directed Redford in the Broadway production of Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park.” Redford put up a valiant effort to the extent that he shot a screen test with his “Barefoot” co-star, Candice Bergen. But alas, his involvement wouldn’t come to pass. If you’re wondering what could have prevented Redford from starring in one of the most prolific movies of the ’60s, well, it hilariously came down to being way too hot to fully embody Benjamin Braddock. Nichols said as much at a 2003 screening of the film (via Vanity Fair):
“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, ‘Okay, have you ever struck out with a girl?’ and he said, ‘What do you mean?’ And he wasn’t joking.”
Of all the reasons to get rejected, being told you’re so hot that you couldn’t convincingly play a loser like Benjamin is a pretty good feather in your cap. It turns out there is such a thing as detrimental flattery. Redford possessed such an innate flexibility to the roles he embodied, but not even he could have made himself less attractive. If you’ve seen “The Graduate,” you’ll know exactly why he would have been all wrong. In Nichols’ 1967 screen adaptation, Benjamin has no idea what he wants to do with his life in the wake of graduating from college. It’s something that plenty of folks can relate to decades after the film’s release. But Benjamin’s aloof attitude toward postgrad life takes an unexpectedly exciting turn when Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), the wife of a family friend, flirts with him. The more he indulges in his secret meetups with the cougar that defined a generation, the deeper he sinks into a spiral of self-destruction that involves dating her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross).
Hoffman is especially fantastic in “The Graduate” due to his ability to play upon his boyish sensibilities. When Mrs. Robinson infamously seduces Benjamin, the comedy derives from how flustered he gets at the idea of an older woman coming onto him, of all people. The performance thrives because Hoffman can play such an adrift character with the right amount of nuanced pity. It makes his eventful journey to one of the most uncomfortable bus rides in movie history so memorable. Redford wouldn’t have been nearly as effective in the role, considering his first leading screen role that year saw him living in a New York City apartment with a free-spirited Jane Fonda (Gene Saks’ “Barefoot in the Park”). It would be all too predictable to see the Robinson women coming onto him because, duh, of course they would.
There’s a hilarious irony in Redford feeling the sting of rejection because he had believably never been turned down for a date. He was a critical figure in Hollywood history whose masculine presence was defined by his ability to be both incredibly attractive and a gentleman. Redford’s notoriety as a charmer is intrinsically tied to his career. Just to give you an idea of how good he was at maintaining his suave demeanor, Redford was 82 when he played kind bank robber Forrest Tucker in David Lowery’s “The Old Man and the Gun.” He spends a good chunk of the film wooing Sissy Spacek and the audience with the youthful spirit of a 20-year-old. Although it wouldn’t be Redford’s final film, it serves as a fitting denouement to a career as one of the hottest actors to ever live.
“The Graduate” is currently streaming for free on Kanopy.