Robert Redford: “I will never stop acting or directing”

Arte devotes its Sunday evening to the star. After L'Arnaque, it's time for a documentary retracing his career as an actor, producer and director.

On the occasion of the release ofAll is lost, First had met the star and discussed all the periods of his astonishing career. We are sharing this interview again on the occasion of the special evening Robert Redford concocted by Arte. At 9 p.m., place at The Scam (1973), then at 11:05 p.m., his subtitled portrait “The Blonde Angel” will be rescheduled. It is already visible for free in replay.

Robert Redford looks back on his career [interview]

Interview originally published in May 2013:

In the splendid All is lost, Robert Redford is alone on screen, the hero of this maritime survival where a man faces a storm aboard his boat in the Indian Ocean. A feat that the 77-year-old actor achieved for JC Chandorwho signs his second film after the noted economic thriller Margin Call. Chandor and Redford, accompanied by producers Anna Gerb and Neal Dodson, were at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival to present the film out of competition. The opportunity for Redford, one of the last legends of American cinema, to affirm his constant appetite for challenges.

“I was stuck on the set anyway”

Because All is lost is a matter of challenges. “It's a challenge to play alone. It's very attractive for an actor. I completely surrendered to the director” says Redford, still alert despite his age, although he sometimes has to strain his ears to hear a question – he even jokes about it: “I injured my ear while making the film”he laughs. A film where only ten words are spoken – no artifice, voice-overs or flashbacks. A radicalism that pleased the actor. “I believe in the virtues of silence in films. In life, too. Silence and calm. If you use these elements in a dramatic way, it's an exciting challenge for an actor. It allows you to be totally free . There is the boat, the sea, and the dangers on the horizon. It's all existential.

More concretely, Redford, despite his age, insisted on doing most of the stunts himself: “It's good for the character and good for my ego. I was stuck on set anyway. I couldn't go anywhere.” Despite his sporty demeanor, Redford has never been on a boat. “I never sailed. I surfed as a kid in California. It's JC who has the sea experience.” An experience which nourished the film, according to Chandor himself who nevertheless believes that the trip into liquid hell is very exaggerated: “if you know a little about it, you see that the film represents all the worst nightmares of navigators. In fact, there is no navigation strictly speaking in it…”

“A nice contrast with the noise of the world”

Redford all alone in a boat facing the sea and himself, could there be a symbolic dimension in All is lost? “Redford, for me, is the symbol of my parents’ generation, born during or just after the Second World War”says Chandor. “It was interesting to put him to the test in the film. By depriving him of his voice, one of his most remarkable characteristics.” And Redford continues: “I was born between the Great Depression and World War II. After the war, I saw that things were starting to disappear. Innocence is like a country that you leave little by little. When I started in as an artist, I wanted to see beyond the propaganda of the United States, to explore the gray zone that lies beneath. There was Watergate, Viet-Nam… With our films, at the At the time, we tried to see beyond the triumphant, cockardeous images.”

In 2013, the total absence of dialoguesAll is lost according to him, also participates in an exploration of the current world: “I observe that technology makes everything faster, that people are more and more talkative and speak quickly. How far will it go? How long will it last before exploding? In the film, there is no no more technology, just the elements. It makes a nice contrast with all the noise in the world.”

30 pages of script

It was at the Sundance Festival that JC Chandorwho projected Margin Callmet Redford (creator of this essential meeting of US indie cinema). “Among the directors discovered at Sundance, none had ever asked me to star in their next film”laughs Redford. “Except JC, who asked me very nicely.” In fact, Chandor saw the actor in the flesh giving a talk about Jeremiah Johnson and his difficulties filming in the snow. This is undoubtedly where the idea for All is Lost was born. “I wrote his name on a piece of paper. Then I wrote the script without really thinking about him…” A scenario of remarkable simplicity in our era of hyper-dense and complex scenarios.

“Chandor presented me with a 30-page script – and it had the whole film in it. It wasn’t easy to sell it”estimates producer Neal Dodson. “The names of Zachary Quintowho co-produced the film, and Redford, certainly attracted investors.” Because All is lost is a bit of a bastard, as a technically ambitious independent film: “It’s not a long indie like the others”adds Anna Gerb. “There are a lot of special effects, some of which are digital. Not the usual recipe for a small film.” In any case, All is lost arrived safely, led by Redford in better shape than ever despite the crisis and the difficulties of making films on the fringes of the system. “The film business has become tougher”concedes Redford -actor, producer, director and Sundance guru. “But I will never stop acting and directing. I will never give up.”

Robert Redford, magnificent in the storm of All is lost [critique]