The frank admission of Paul Newman on his friendship with Robert Redford

Even though Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, who were real-life outlaws, got along well, actor Paul Newman acknowledged that he had some animosity for the young Robert Redford during the whole filming process.

Redford as Harry Longabaugh, or “Sundance Kid,” and Newman as Robert LeRoy Parker, aka “Butch Cassidy,” were believable in their depictions of the Wild West buddies, legendary outlaws who were escaping the law after a run of bank and railway robberies. This is a genuine monument to their acting skills.

One of the finest Western movies ever made, the 1969 movie, which was based on the real outlaws, earned four Oscars. The duo reunited four years later in The Sting (1973), a caper film with two equally alluring heartthrobs.

Newman and Redford, both legends in their own right, had a special chemistry together. Have you ever wondered, though, how Hollywood’s A-listers interact when no one is watching?

The 1969 western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starred Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy and Robert Redford as Sundance Kid. (Image via Getty Images, courtesy of John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis)

The actor who played Butch, 44-year-old Newman, acknowledged having feelings for the 33-year-old Redford’s character.

In an interview with BBC Talking Pictures, Newman said, “We have a lot of fun together, and we bounce off each other really well.” He said, “I would have wanted to play Sundance.” I’m a bit more at peace with that cooled-out quality. I assume it must be the easier part.

Redford was a rising star who shared the 1965 Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year with Natalie Wood for their performance in the film Inside Daisy Clover.

After starring alongside Elizabeth Taylor in films like Cool Hand Luke (1967) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Newman was already a household name.

After Steve McQueen declined a role in the movie, Redford was cast alongside Newman, who was garnering praise for his acting and directing in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Additionally, McQueen turned down roles in the films One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The French Connection, and Dirty Harry.

According to Newman’s biography, “The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir,” the two superstars weren’t really friends at the time, the BBC writes.

Redford is not a reliable source, Newman said. There is never a guarantee that he will appear. That is completely rude.

Their rivalry may have been exacerbated by their dissimilar working approaches, according to Newman’s youngest child Claire Newman Soderlund, whom he fathered with his second wife Joanne Woodward.

She said, “My father was very particular about timing, and Bob never really excelled at it.” Dad’s workload is heavy. Bob put a lot of effort into it since he was more of a free spirit and he wanted to be good and successful.

Redford, who was 86 at the time, remarked about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in an interview with ABC News following Newman’s death from lung cancer in 2008. “It was just the connection of playing those characters and the fun of it that really began the relationship,” he claimed. After the movie began, the author said, “we then found other similarities that just multiplied over time, a common ground that we both had, interests and so on, and differences.”

Following their roles as infamous outlaws and later thieves in The Sting, Newman and Redford explored the possibility of working again on a third film, but nothing came of it.

It almost occurred in Bill Bryson’s 1998 novel A Walk in the Woods, which was made into a 2015 film. This buddy movie’s story revolves around two older men who wish to climb the difficult Appalachian Trail but are out of shape.

In a promotional photo for the 1969 George Roy Hill film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” stars Paul Newman (1925–2008) as Butch Cassidy and Katharine Ross as Etta Place may be seen. (Image courtesy of Getty Images/Silver Screen Collection)

With his close buddy Newman in mind, Redford picked this script for the 2005 film, which he both appeared in and produced.

In a 2015 interview with Yahoo, Redford said, “It started with Paul, since Paul and I had been looking for a third movie to make together. It had been a while, and I still couldn’t find it. When I read this book, Paul sprang to mind right away.

Redford, who was 79 at the time of the interview, said that he gave Newman a copy of the book, and that Newman eventually chose Nick Nolte for the role because he wasn’t certain Redford could physically pull it off.

Newman and Redford, two renowned actors who first collaborated in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, have developed a much closer bond since then.

The actors, who started acting like brothers after living barely a mile apart in Connecticut, are also close with their families.

After his friend went away, Redford remarked, “We both came to know each other’s weaknesses quite well. Naturally, I was better than him in that area. We just took advantage of one other’s shortcomings and made an effort to deceive one another. We would try to surprise one other, and it was so much fun that it almost created a situation on its own.

Actors Paul Newman (L) and Robert Redford are shown in New York City on November 6, 2006, during the Sundance Institute’s 25th Anniversary celebration at Metropolitan Pavilion. (Image courtesy of Evan Agostini/Getty Images))

The speaker added, “Paul loves to laugh and enjoy himself, and he particularly enjoys laughing at his own jokes, some of which are rather horrible. You finally stopped getting the humor and started laughing with him because of how much he liked them.

Paul Newman and Robert Redford were wonderful together as the everlasting couple! Please share your thoughts on their on-screen friendship and on-off-screen relationship!