The Friendship Between Robert Redford and Paul Newman Lasted for Decades

It takes a long time to produce a Hollywood movie. Actors spend months together on set, attempting to deliver the best performances they can. Between takes, it is very easy for stars to become friends with one another.

These friendships can last for a very long time. The movie premieres on the big screen, but the relationships forged behind the cameras can go on for decades. After Robert Redford and Paul Newman worked together on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the actors became inseparable.

How did the friendship between Robert and Paul start, and how did it evolve over the years? Here's what we know about two of the closest artists Hollywood ever saw.

George Roy Hill needed two stars to become the leads of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The director was certain that Paul would do a wonderful job as the unpredictable outlaw, but the search for the ideal Sundance Kid continued.

According to Far Out Magazine, actors such as Jack Lemmon and Warren Beatty passed on the project for multiple reasons. The rejections from these artists led Robert to be cast in the role, and the rest was history.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid became a massive success for 20th Century Fox. But beyond what the Western achieved as an investment, the friendship between Robert and Paul was born thanks to the production.

The acclaimed actors continued to spend time together, with the entertainment industry being aware of the wholesome bond they shared as friends.

Audiences know that Adam Sandler constantly appears in his movies alongside his friends. Julie Bowen, Kevin James, and Rob Schneider are some of the people viewers can expect to see when they tune in to one of Adam's stories.

That sort of frequent collaboration never arrived for Robert and Paul. The stars from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid worked together only once more after the release of George's Western.

In the aforementioned Far Out Magazine article, it was stated that Robert and Paul appeared on the screen together once again, thanks to The Sting. George returned to direct the heist that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Years after The Sting was released, Robert pitched an adaptation of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods to his friend. Unfortunately, Paul passed away before the project could be made.

Robert knew that Paul was crucial to his inclusion in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The late artist once reflected: "(Paul) said, ‘I want to work with an actor'. And that was very complimentary to me, because that’s, I think, how we both saw our profession, that acting was about craft and we took it seriously.”

The Western was released in 1969, and Paul passed away in 2008. This means the friendship between the two Hollywood icons lasted for more than forty years.

Robert and Paul's legacy will never be forgotten by the industry that turned him into legends. The adaptation of A Walk in the Woods was eventually produced by Robert, with Nick Nolte taking on the role that was originally meant for Paul.