Remembering Robert Redford: 'I'd like to think I made a valuable contribution to culture'

Cool, calm, collected and generous to a responsibility - nan tributes to Robert Redford who died connected Tuesday person each illustrated that he epitomised and oozed charm.

No-one, it seems, had a bad connection to opportunity astir him, which is perfectly unthinkable for a man moving astatine nan very bosom of 1 of nan world's toughest industry's; a man who created an independent movie show and TV network, alongside being a legendary starring character successful Hollywood, an Oscar winning head and a salient biology activist.

Some mightiness opportunity it's easy to beryllium good, gracious and benignant erstwhile you're a powerful, iconic character blessed pinch being devilishly handsome, beautiful even. I'd for illustration to deliberation that could arsenic beryllium a curse; but that would beryllium churlish. We whitethorn ne'er cognize who was nan existent Robert Redford down his very nationalist persona. What struck maine during our little brushwood was his humbleness so, this is simply my 2 cents connected an unforgettable acquisition interviewing 1 of nan astir recognisable figures successful nan world.

We met successful 2010 astatine MIPCOM successful Cannes, an yearly waste and acquisition show for nan tv and integer market, to talk nan motorboat successful Europe of Sundance TV, a transmission offering independent characteristic films, documentaries and original play series. We, I should make clear, besides included my unit which consisted of a camera operator, lighting expert, and a sound engineer... really things person changed.

But backmost to nan story. What had been many times made clear by Redford's PR team, was that we would, astatine best, only person 3 minutes maximum to talk because of his highly engaged schedule and nan longlist of group wanting their portion of nan star.

I was reasonably assured my agelong winded questions would get maine an astatine slightest an other 30 seconds erstwhile we sewage down to it but connected presence we were told "keep it tidy and tight", a connection reinforced by his handler who shrugged apologetically and pointed many times astatine her watch. So far, truthful normal. Not that I'd interviewed immoderate Hollywood legends before. I mean, Samuel L Jackson did erstwhile personally show maine thing astir activity and recreation but he was only joshing. I think.

The question and reply took spot wrong a immense banqueting room astatine nan Carlton, 1 of nan astir plush and posh hotels connected nan French Riviera. A beautiful mounting but besides 1 that's a spot intimidating arsenic various PR and beefy information unit scoured nan room, our kit bags and nan surrounding hallways. After each mode of checks were completed, each I had to do was wait, respire and relax.

Then came nan first surprise, Robert Redford was bang connected time. A spot unexpected for a awesome personage but ever welcome. No remainder for nan wicked, he was led into nan room, each smiles and took clip to shake hands each and each 1 of us. While quickly mounting up his position, we moreover had a small two-way speech astir Yoruba sanction origins and nicknames. "My friends telephone maine Bob, but your sanction is really interesting" he quipped. Sure, I'd heard that a batch before, but this clip I grinned gleefully for illustration a small boy near unsocial successful a saccharine shop.

Lights, camera, action

Mics checked, lighting checked, camera checked. We were bully to go. The PR squad of 3 zoomed successful connected maine arsenic one. Another portentous constituent to nan watch. "Don't forget, Mr Redford is highly engaged coming trying to speak to everybody, truthful please support it short."

"Of course, I wholly understand," I replied, nodding dutifully.

"Ready to roll?" I asked. "Absolutely, fresh erstwhile you are" he replied.

What followed tin beryllium publication successful item beneath but location are 2 aspects of that time which didn't make nan cut. The first, I'm delighted to say, is that we completed ripped up nan day's norm book. Sure enough, Redford's media show did look precisely connected 3 minutes signalling clip was up. But nan man taking nan mobility politely made clear he wanted to continue. The segment was repeated 3 minutes later and his consequence was nan same. "I'm enjoying myself here," he said. "How galore much questions do you have? Don't worry, it'll beryllium ok," he cautiously but firmly reassured his progressively anxious handler who much than erstwhile had fixed maine nan 'slit throat' sign, which intends wrap it up. End it. Now.

Fortunately, I wasn't successful fearfulness of my life arsenic it was specified a sunny, happy day. And everybody, isolated from nan hassled PR handler, seemed to beryllium having a awesome time. When each was said and done we'd spoken for astatine slightest 12 minutes.

By this time, we were getting connected truthful good talking astir his life and really he tries to power young group that I felt a spot sad switching nan taxable to decease for my last question, but it's nan unescapable extremity truthful it seemed adjacent crippled to me. "How would you for illustration to beryllium remembered?" I asked. A mini intake of activity and region for thought followed. "Just arsenic personification that contributed thing to, nan sustainable sustainability of our culture. I deliberation astir apt immoderate I do, what will astir apt past nan longest are nan films that I've made because they person a agelong life. So conscionable that I was personification that brought thing to nan civilization that had immoderate sustainability aliases immoderate value, immoderate that is."

RIP Robert Redford.

This article was primitively published successful October 2010.

Robert Redford has travel a long, agelong measurement since nan days he slept unsmooth connected nan French Riviera, arsenic a young man struggling to make it arsenic a painter.

The actor-director, who is 74, is besides nan laminitis of nan Sundance tv channel. He was successful Cannes for nan MIPCOM audiovisual intermezo adjacent to beforehand nan world ambitions of nan network, which launched extracurricular nan United States past year.

After a mis-spent youth, Redford spent a twelvemonth successful France erstwhile he was 18, and nan first clip he visited nan Mediterranean edifice he slept nether nan pier other nan luxurious Carlton Hotel.

Speaking to maine from nan much plush interior, nan Oscar winning head revealed why nan state holds a typical spot successful his heart.

Tokunbo Salako, Euronews: “What made you take France to motorboat nan world type of nan Sundance channel?”

Robert Redford: “It had a individual portion to it. I really began my profession arsenic an creator here, and because erstwhile I was a kid I began to tie and I was made to consciousness that wasn’t important truthful I ne'er felt superior astir it. But it was ever thing that made maine comfortable. I went done a difficult puerility and created problem and was successful problem and so-forth and I was kicked retired of school, and that was okay pinch me, because what I really wanted was to spell different place. I wanted to spell to a spot that I felt had immoderate history and had a consciousness of organization pinch immoderate artists, and that was France, Paris.

You primitively started nan Sundance Festival backmost successful nan 1980s arsenic a measurement of giving thing backmost to nan manufacture which has been truthful bully to you. What were your reasons for starting nan TV channel?”

Robert Redford: “The TV channel? The TV transmission came retired of 2 different steps that began pinch what I telephone nan Sundance Labs. In 1980, I was fortunate capable to person had immoderate occurrence successful movie and I was astatine a junction successful my life wherever I could either conscionable proceed making nan films for illustration nan ones I’d been making aliases return a region and deliberation astir possibly putting thing backmost that would beryllium of worth to nan manufacture that had been truthful bully to me. Because I deliberation my quality has ever been to beryllium much independent, I was going to effort and create thing that would transportation that guardant and possibly bring immoderate worth to nan industry. The conception is to create caller opportunities for caller artists, to person a spot to create and grow, and nan consequence of that will, hopefully, create caller audiences for those artists. And if you do that you’re helping create a caller category, that tin only thief nan business. I mean, let’s look astatine it successful nan wide way.”

How do you deliberation your experiences tin animate young filmmakers today?

Robert Redford: “Well, I deliberation astir apt my experience, I deliberation done independence. I’ve been beautiful independent my full life and that’s conscionable nan measurement it is…and I’ve wanted to stay independent, but not truthful independent that you’re extracurricular nan world. Because, finally, you’re successful a business wherever immoderate you do you person to entertain. That’s nan basal occupation you person to do, you person to entertain. But tin you entertain successful a different way? Can you entertain that is different capable wherever group haven’t seen thing before, you bring a caller attack aliases a caller inspiration? So I conjecture nan champion point I tin connection would beryllium an illustration of my ain activity and my ain life, creating Sundance. Beyond that I don’t cognize what other I could connection different than example. Look, independency is not going to beryllium for everybody. It’s a very difficult domiciled to play successful a world that’s controlled by corporations. Corporations person a very beardown look for money successful return connected their finance and each that. So, sometimes experimentation aliases independency is seen successful a antagonistic way. It’s seen arsenic excessively risky, truthful so you’re going to person a struggle.”

Are you still actively progressive successful mentoring young filmmakers now?

Robert Redford: “Oh yeah. The full constituent of everything we commencement successful this laboratory programme is astir development. So improvement is still successful spot and now much and much movie makers person travel done our labs. Quentin Tarantino, Darren Aronofsky, Wes Anderson, PT Anderson, immoderate of nan actors who are present today, Elizabeth Moss, Jon Hamm. They’re each group who came done our laboratory astatine 1 constituent aliases another, either arsenic actors, caller board aliases caller writers, truthful it gives maine awesome pleasance to spot these group person gone connected and benefited from our process to participate nan mainstream. But they’re besides very independent.”

So do you spot yourself now arsenic an creator aliases a businessman?

Robert Redford: “Not a businessman. Not a businessman. It’s for illustration nan connection brand. When personification says “Boy, you person a awesome brand,” it made maine nervous. It makes maine uncomfortable; because for maine nan connection “brand” was what you stamp connected cattle, and I didn’t respond to that word, you cognize I didn’t deliberation of that. I understand it, but it felt unusual to maine to perceive that word. Business has ever been not nan astir comfortable for maine because I deliberation much arsenic an artist. So I will proceed to beryllium nan creator and spot that nan group I’m successful relation pinch are bully business people.”