Robert Redford’s Accomplishments

Robert Redford, creator of the annual Sundance Institute in Utah (which was created to support independent film), will receiving an award tonight at the 28th annual Kennedy Center Honors, an award given to people who have amassed a life of achievement in the arts.

A Salt Lake Tribune reporter conducted an in depth interview with Redford, in which he talked about the award itself, his acting career and his environmental activism, which began in Provo, Utah in 1969. This activism eventually turned into the creation of the Sundance where independent films on political and social issues are promoted.

Redford states this about activism in general: :
I learned early that you’d better know what you’re talking about. You’d better realize that certain issues are going to be so hot – no matter what reason, what logic you apply to it – you’re going to be met with an opposition just because their viewpoint is different, and there’s no way they’re going to accept your reasoning. Furthermore, they’re going to attack you because you will be portrayed as not being credible: “You’re an actor. What do you know?” . . .

Redford went on to explain the most significant event in his activism:
The biggest event that put me crossways with the political elements in the state, and the more conservative elements down in south and eastern Utah, was the Kaiparowits thing – the coal-fired power plant that would have polluted the whole [area]. I went against that [in 1976], went on “60 Minutes” to expose what these energy companies were going to do. I got nailed, I got really hammered pretty bad. . . . But my feelings just grew stronger over time, that we were desecrating one of the greatest assets we had. . . .

Finally, Redfor had this to say about the possibility of engaging with George Bush at tonight’s Kennedy Center event:

Tribune: “At the Kennedy Center, you’ll be sitting in a box with George Bush for a couple of hours. Is that an opportunity you’d want to take to say something to him?”
Redford: No, it’s not worth it. . . . I don’t want to make it about politics, so I probably won’t – unless it’s brought up, then that’s a whole other ballgame.
I also feel this is an administration that just doesn’t care about opposing points of view. They’re going to so-called “stay the course” – and the course is going so far downhill so fast that it’s sort of pointless to get into any kind of a discussion. It holds no merit. There’s no point in it.