Robert Redford's Integrity

Robert Redford appeared in the latest installment of the delightful program "Inside the Actor's Studio." This was after the host, James Lipton, had been pursuing him for ten years. Redford has acted in and directed so many good and popular films! And it came across very clearly in the interview that he takes acting and filmmaking very seriously and is a thoughtful, serious man. This might not sit well with a lot of people who like their actors as well as their friends to laugh and smile and joke a lot. I suspect that many people feel uncomfortable around the likes of Redford. But I doubt that he cares a whole lot. For he seems very intent on being the best film artist he can be and on being straightforward and honest in everything he says and does. In short, he strikes me as a man of unusual integrity. Of course, it's surely possible to combine honesty and integrity with a warm and pleasing personality that draws people to it rather than pushes them away, but that is so very difficult for some of us to do. And if we have to try too hard to do it, then we are almost certainly not being honest and acting with integrity.

One theme that kept sufacing during the interview was how important it was to Redford for actors to truly listen to each other in front of the camera and for people to truly listen to each other in everyday life. He even said that what turned him off the most was when people are so caught up in their own thoughts and agendas that they don't really listen to others. How I agree with this, even though my own listening skills often leave a lot to be desired.