My night with Robert Redford
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
My girlfriend got her hands on some free tickets to an evening with Robert Redford. Part of a series of celebrated people like Dan Rather, Tom Wolfe and Adrienne Clarkson, Redford was the big finale. Hummuna hummuna!
And yes, I realize the man is turning 70 this year. But that just makes him well-aged beefcake. He doesn't just have great blue eyes, he's an eloquent speaker who deftly avoids standing on a soapbox while getting his point across.
Did I mention that our seats were dead centre about 8 rows back? If I had just stepped over a few people, I could have reached out and grabbed his leg. I knew I should have put a thong in my purse to toss up on stage!
We heard about his early dreams of becoming a baseball player, then a painter, then a no-good bum. His journey into acting was a fluke. Redford had told people that he was going to become an "art director", just to give them an answer they were looking for, not realizing what the job entailed. A friend suggested he attend theatre school to get the necessary background. Turns out he loved it.
Redford believes that once you become successful at something, that's the time to do something completely different. So, taking his advice, I feel that I've mastered procrastination and will focus on completion.
By the way, Redford feels that Bush is another Nixon. At least he said it politely. We were able to fill out question cards that I'm sure were screened backstage before being handed to the moderator. I was tempted to ask which Newman's Own dressing flavour he preferred, but resisted.
One person asked if he enjoyed kissing Barbra Streisand. He says he did.
Redford also discussed his dissatisfaction with the Hollywood machine and his reasons for the creation of the Sundance Film Festival. He also expressed his distaste at Paris Hilton buying underwear during the festival one year receiving more press than any other element. We think she's off the list.
Politics, the environment and the stories behind some movies were what we heard about. When asked how if he enjoyed filming Out of Africa, he claimed that the second unit was in charge of filming all the fabulous landscapes and safari-like images. He and Meryl Streep were stuck in the house most of the time. For five months.
Although we knew which hotel he was staying in, my girlfriend and I went straight home once the house lights came up. Good times.
And yes, I realize the man is turning 70 this year. But that just makes him well-aged beefcake. He doesn't just have great blue eyes, he's an eloquent speaker who deftly avoids standing on a soapbox while getting his point across.
Did I mention that our seats were dead centre about 8 rows back? If I had just stepped over a few people, I could have reached out and grabbed his leg. I knew I should have put a thong in my purse to toss up on stage!
We heard about his early dreams of becoming a baseball player, then a painter, then a no-good bum. His journey into acting was a fluke. Redford had told people that he was going to become an "art director", just to give them an answer they were looking for, not realizing what the job entailed. A friend suggested he attend theatre school to get the necessary background. Turns out he loved it.
Redford believes that once you become successful at something, that's the time to do something completely different. So, taking his advice, I feel that I've mastered procrastination and will focus on completion.
By the way, Redford feels that Bush is another Nixon. At least he said it politely. We were able to fill out question cards that I'm sure were screened backstage before being handed to the moderator. I was tempted to ask which Newman's Own dressing flavour he preferred, but resisted.
One person asked if he enjoyed kissing Barbra Streisand. He says he did.
Redford also discussed his dissatisfaction with the Hollywood machine and his reasons for the creation of the Sundance Film Festival. He also expressed his distaste at Paris Hilton buying underwear during the festival one year receiving more press than any other element. We think she's off the list.
Politics, the environment and the stories behind some movies were what we heard about. When asked how if he enjoyed filming Out of Africa, he claimed that the second unit was in charge of filming all the fabulous landscapes and safari-like images. He and Meryl Streep were stuck in the house most of the time. For five months.
Although we knew which hotel he was staying in, my girlfriend and I went straight home once the house lights came up. Good times.
posted by Bonnie Staring at 9:49 AM
2 Comments:
Hey, thanks for filling in those of us far flung from the locale that housed him. He's sure picking up his political momentum. I wonder what he's planning?
Perhaps it's time for another actor to become President...
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