"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" brought Paul Newman and Robert Redford together

Battle of old and new Hollywood

However, making it into a movie was extremely difficult. Although we are living in a new cinema era, Hollywood majors who still retain the aftereffects of the pioneering era have been waiting for this "second life." The logic was that John Wayne wouldn't run away from the West. So Goldman convinced the executives by slightly rewriting the script.

Another problem that troubled the producers was the issue of billing. According to Goldman, the original title was "The Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy." This is because, before production began, Steve McQueen and Paul Newman had both agreed to appear in the role at the same time, and considering McQueen's popularity at the time, it was natural that Sundance, where McQueen was supposed to play, would be brought forward. Because it was. As a result, McQueen left the project and the title was changed back to the original ``Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,'' but the billing issue between the two major stars resurfaced with `` The Towering Inferno '' (1974). At the beginning of the movie, McQueen's name is displayed on the left, which is considered the top in the hierarchy, and Newman's name is placed on the right, slightly above the top in the hierarchy.

Newman highly recommended Redford.

Robert Redford was cast to replace McQueen in the Sundance role. Newman was the one who strongly wanted Redford to be hired. He wanted his partner to be an actor, not a star. There is a theory that it was his wife, Joanne Woodward, who recommended Redford to Newman, but both Newman and Redford were easterners who started their acting careers on Broadway. It's easy to imagine that Newman expected a chemistry between the two that was different from that of Hollywood actors. However, when I opened the lid, it wasn't even about chemistry.

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (c)Photofest / Getty Images

Their relationship began with compromise and respect, and eventually, thanks to the jokes they exchanged during filming and the alcohol they consumed both on and off, they found themselves inseparable. Let's introduce the process with some actual anecdotes. First, Redford stubbornly refused to rehearse with Newman, emphasizing spontaneity, but he made concessions in favor of respite for his opponent. Redford wanted to do all the stunts himself, including the scene in which he ran on the roof of a moving train, but Newman said, ``Nobody's looking for a hero. I don't want to lose my co-star.'' I was persuaded that there was no such thing, and I gave in here as well.

Although Newman was appalled by Redford's youthful appearance, he gradually began to feel attached to him, and since Redford was left-handed, he suggested changing the title of the film to ``Waiting for Lefty.'' , and even suggested it to director George Roy Hill. ``Waiting'' is a stage play by Clifford Oditz, a leading figure in the American theater world who discovered the method with Lee Strasberg, a founding member of the Actors Studio, where Newman once studied. The plot is an absurd drama in which the left-hander that everyone has been waiting for does not appear until the very end. Needless to say, this is a mockery of Redford, who went to the shoot in high spirits. Of course, this joke assumes that Redford has stage knowledge.

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