For a generation, Robert Redford was the very picture of American male beauty, sun-kissed, blue-eyed, effortlessly cool. From Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to The Way We Were, Redford wasn’t just a movie star, he was the movie star. But for Redford himself, the “sex symbol” label was never a badge of honour. In fact, he hated it. (Also Read: Fans remember Robert Redford’s warm portrayal of Death in The Twilight Zone: ‘Hope his death was akin to this’)

Robert explains why sex-symbol image is a handicap

In an interview with The New York Times dated 1974, Redford reflected on the discomfort that came with being idolised for his looks rather than his craft. “I never thought of myself as a glamorous guy, a handsome guy, any of that stuff. Suddenly, there’s this image. And it makes me very nervous, because it keeps people from judging you on performance.”

That image, according to Redford, often got in the way of being taken seriously as an actor. He pointed out how critics dismissed his performances as typecasting: “When I made The Candidate, people said, ‘Yeah, sure, slick, handsome guy, the part’s just right for him.’ When I made The Way We Were, they said, ‘Yeah, Ivy League WASP jock. The part fits him like a glove.’”

But Redford was always pushing against the mould. He had to fight to land roles that didn’t match his golden-boy persona. He mentioned that he had to fight to get Jeremiah Johnson because it didn’t fit “the image”. The role, an isolated mountain man surviving in the wild, was gritty, introspective, and far removed from the polished romantic leads Hollywood expected of him.

He also addressed the backlash he received for The Great Gatsby (1974), a film critics often derided for being more style than substance. “A lot of the knocks I took for Gatsby were because of image. Critics said Redford was too good-looking, Redford was awkward with the language. But Fitzgerald never said Gatsby wasn’t good-looking… He said Gatsby’s language was awkward, bordering on the absurd. That was a quality I worked for. I mean, didn’t they read the book?”

Redford’s frustration was never about vanity; it was about art. To him, acting was about embodying complex, often flawed characters. But the industry and the public frequently reduced him to a poster boy for an idealised American masculinity. “So this glamour image can be a real handicap. Image is crap.”

Robert Redford’s death

Legendary actor, director, and activist Robert Redford died in his sleep at the age of 89 on September 16, at his home in Sundance, Utah. Over six decades, Redford became one of Hollywood’s most iconic leading men with films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, and All the President’s Men, while also leaving a lasting legacy behind the camera. He founded the Sundance Film Festival, championed independent cinema, and was honoured with numerous awards, including an Oscar for directing Ordinary People.