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Robert Redford is not a man who gives up easily.
If you need proof, consider this: he’s been trying to get “A Walk In The Woods” off the ground for so long that when he initially optioned the book, he envisioned it as a project for himself and old pal Paul Newman.
After discovering the travelogue about two old friends who challenge themselves to hike the Appalachian Trail – all 2,200 miles of it – Redford bought the rights and set about trying to reel in Newman.
At that point, the pair had starred together in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting,” beloved movies which garnered 11 Oscars and an additional 6 nominations.
“Paul and I had a great friendship and we had done the two films and we were looking for a third,” Redford said. “I had been looking for something and he was always looking for something and then I found this book, and thought this could be it.
“But I hadn’t thought it through carefully enough to realize that a lot of time had gone by…[Newman was] a good guy and very honest and very practical, and when we got together, he said, ‘Look, I think there may be too big an age difference between us now – 14 years – and secondly, physically, I’m not sure if, in my later years, I can do this stuff.’ ”
Newman was diagnosed with cancer not long after his meeting with Redford and died in 2008 at the age of 83.
After realizing that Newman wouldn’t be able to join him for “A Walk In The Woods,” Redford turned to Nick Nolte, with whom he worked on “The Company You Keep,” a film Redford directed.
“Immediately, I thought of Nick and the more I thought about him, the more right it felt because we’re the same age and have similar backgrounds,” said Redford, who’s 79. Nolte is 74.
Redford stars in the fact-based “A Walk in the Woods” as Bill Bryson, a travel writer who doesn’t have any interest in spending a quiet retirement at home with his wife (Emma Thompson) and kids. Instead, he opts for the adventure of hiking the Appalachian Trail.
But he doesn’t want to do it alone. Enter Stephen Katz (Nolte), an estranged friend who is the only person who agrees to join Bill on the trek. In contrast to the successful Bryson, Katz is a down-on-his luck serial philanderer who’s relied on his charm and wits to keep one step ahead of the law.
Katz sees the trip as a way to sneak out of paying some debts and enjoy one last adventure before it’s too late. Bryson, on the other hand, has an entirely different definition of what it means to push yourself to the edge. Mary Steenburgen, Kristen Schaal and Nick Offerman co-star in the film, which was directed by Ken Kwapis (“The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants”).
So what was it about “A Walk in the Woods” which made Redford so determined to bring it to the screen?
“I was really passionate about it being worth it,” Redford said. “It was a wonderful story with wonderful characters. And it said something about… human beings and their relationship with nature.”
Redford believes “A Walk in the Woods” is unlike any other movie in theaters at the moment.
“I think this film could have some appeal to an undeserved audience out there: the older people,” he said. A lot of “older people (have) given up on films because (they’re so) youth-oriented with special effects … movies (sacrifice) stories and characters for green screens.”
Redford said his first reading of Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods” was a fluke. He was running out the door to begin a 2002 vacation with his wife, painter Sibylle Szaggars, and grabbed the book to bring along.
“It had a picture of a bear in a forest, so my first thought was that this was another one of those environmental books I get sent,” he said. “So, I was on my way out and I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll take this along.’ I read it, and it was the first time I remember laughing out loud so many times while reading a book.”
Even though Redford is best known for dramas like “The Way We Were,” “All The President’s Men,” “Out Of Africa,” “The Natural,” and “The Horse Whisperer,” he starred in quite a few comedies early in his career including the classic “Barefoot In The Park” with Jane Fonda.
As director Ken Kwapis sees it, the character of Bryson appealed to Redford because the actor was longing for a change of pace. The role “gave Bob a chance to exercise his comedic muscles, something he hasn’t done in a while,” he said.
“Bob’s approach to the craft could not be more thoughtful. There’s nothing flashy about Bob’s acting: he builds the character in incremental steps, detail by detail. He always invites you in the character’s thought process. Soon, you forget you’re watching Robert Redford because you’re completely absorbed by Bill Bryson.”
Kwapis thought of “A Walk in the Woods” as less of an adventure saga than a two-handed character study.
“It’s about what constitutes real friendship,” he said. “It’s also about lost time.”
On Aug. 18, Redford turned 79. The actor claims he has no desire to retire and isn’t interested in checking items off a bucket list.
“I don’t believe in bucket lists,” he said. “I [think you just] keep doing things that you want to do if you can do them. It’s a case of I want to do this and I want to see if I can do this. You keep moving forward and keep having new ideas.”
If Redford has his way, “A Walk in the Woods” will not only make viewers chuckle and reflect but also remind them to seize the day and get moving.
“As long as you can, do it,” he said. “Don’t sit down because as far as you know, this is the only (life) you’ve got. You have to make the most of it.”
