A new book, titled, “The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen,” by Robert Hofler, tells the story of Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand behind the scenes of the tragic romance by the same name.
Hofler reveals that Redford even had to wear “two athletic supporters” during love scenes, because Streisand was reportedly “infatuated” by Redford. Despite their on-screen chemistry, the pair had a chilly relationship.
“Her reputation is as a very controlling person. She will direct herself. It’ll never work,” Hofler reported that Redford said of Streisand, even going so far as to ask the director, Sydney Pollack, “She’s not going to sing, is she? I don’t want her to sing in the middle of the movie.”
“She has a tendency to take over a picture, just by the size of her talent and larger-than-life presence. It’s hard for a co-star to stay in the same ring with her,” Pollack, himself, said of Streisand. “In acting, you have to sense that there’s a reserve somewhere, that you’re seeing the top of the iceberg. Redford makes you come to him as a performer. He holds his ground, and you either enter his turf or you don’t get it. Period. He will not court you … I spent literally eight months beating him to death in order to get him to do it. I would not let him off the hook.”
Redford reportedly turned down a sequel, planned with the title, “The Way We Changed”.
Sources:
Robert Redford had to ‘protect himself’ with Barbra Streisand (nypost.com)
Robert Redford didn’t want Barbra Streisand in ‘The Way We Were’ (nypost.com)
