Credit: Far Out / 20th Century-Fox
Sat 22 August 2026 21:15, UK
Like every other big-name movie star, Robert Redford turned down a number of roles throughout his career, but he was also guilty of committing one of Hollywood’s most unprofessional sins.
If an actor doesn’t want to make a movie, that’s fine, because they’ll always have their reasons. In Redford’s case, he rejected the lead in Air Force One after reading the script and believing the airborne action flick to be too cartoonish, opening the door for Harrison Ford to headline another smash hit.
As one of the ‘New Hollywood’ era’s most famous faces, he was one of the most in-demand names around, and since he was never really interested in being an A-lister, conquering the box office, or letting his wallet influence his decision-making in any way, the late legend was often a hard man to tie down.
However, on one occasion, he committed to a film, signed on the dotted line, let the ink dry, and embarked on his journey to the set for the first day of shooting, only to decide while he was in transit that he didn’t want to do it anymore. He never reached his destination, and he faced the consequences.
Director Silvio Narizzano’s 1968 western, Blue, wouldn’t have pulled up any trees, with or without Redford. A fairly by-the-numbers oater, the story follows the title character, an American raised by a Mexican outlaw, who betrays the people he raised him when he falls for the daughter of a family that’s fallen victim to his brethren’s raiding parties across the border.
Initially, the Academy Award-winning director and big-screen superstar was keen on the project, which goes without saying, since he’d agreed to play the lead. On his way to Texas, though, Redford had a chance of heart, and without a moment’s hesitation, backed out of the picture, throwing it into chaos.
“I thought, ‘Wait a minute, what am I coming out to shoot?’” he recalled. “I believed I was being jacked around. I wasn’t getting the pages. They kept saying, ‘Oh, these are green pages, we’re trying to turn them into gold.’” In Hollywood parlance, ‘green’ are pages that aren’t quite in shooting shape, and ‘gold’ are the ones that are, and since there wasn’t enough gold, he bailed.
Further reading: Cutting Room Floor
Unsurprisingly, the studio didn’t take too kindly to Redford quitting on the movie he was contracted to make while he was halfway through his train journey to get there to make it. Paramount sued him for breach of contract, and instead of taking things to the courtroom, a compromise was reached.
As a result, Redford was completely absent from the silver screen in ’68, but he returned the following year in some style with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. His next two gigs afterwards, Downhill Racer and Little Fauss and Big Halsy, were both Paramount pictures, with an arrangement made that, instead of being sued, he’d atone for his sins through a couple of movies.
