The Sundance Film Festival kicked off this week, bringing with it a few pretty major milestones. For one, it’s the final Sundance for the foreseeable future to be set in Park City, Utah, with Boulder, Colorado having lured the festival away starting in 2027. And for another, it’s the first to be held since the death of its most famous and visible founder, Robert Redford. The festival correspondingly celebrated Redford’s life this week with a massive gala, one in which many of his friends and colleagues spoke lovingly about him—although few as, uh, lustily as Woody Harrelson.
Harrelson, who starred with Redford in 1993’s Indecent Proposal, referenced the film in his reminiscence, saying (per THR), “I admit, he’s the only man on Earth I would sell my wife to. I also admit, unabashedly, that he is the only man I would return the money to to take me for a night.” (Harrelson also noted that the interest apparently ran in the family, telling an anecdote about his airplane-phobic mother braving a flight to meet Redford on the film’s set. “He was so sweet. He took the time to really talk with her. I’ll always be grateful for his generosity and his kindness. I never saw my mother so happy in her life, bubbling over with joy and lust.”)
Harrelson did go on to tell a story that was not about how various Harrelsons totally would’ve, noting that:
At the time we worked together, Congress was attempting to pass a bill that would open up six million acres of Montana wilderness to various extractive industries like mining and timber, et cetera. I was trying to stop this bill, and several times I asked Robert to call a senator who had been unreachable and intractable. And you can believe that the senator took that call from Robert and changed his tune. Robert’s contribution to protecting the environment was part of what made him a truly great American. His genius as an actor was matched by his genius as a director, and he didn’t just create many iconic films. He made space for others to do the same.
Other filmmakers told similarly loving stories, with Ava DuVernay reflecting on the many doors he opened for her and other creators throughout his career. (And his ongoing frustration that she wouldn’t just call him “Bob,” instead of “Mr. Redford.”) Ethan Hawke had some of the most personal stories, recounting when he auditioned for Redford for A River Runs Through It, only to be told, “You just did a brilliant job and you’re too young for this part. I’m not going to cast you, but I want you to know that you’re going to have a wonderful career.’” Noting that Redford soon after showed up at one of his plays—”a 99-seat house, $10 ticket. Robert Redford showed up. The fuck?”—Hawke also revealed one critical piece of practical advice Redford gave him a few years ago, telling him to stop wearing a cowboy hat in public: “People think you’re losing your hair.” Sage wisdom, indeed.
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