“The most real and original”: the 1970 movie Robert Redford called “the best I’ve ever done”
Robert Redford singled out the 1970 drama *Little Fauss and Big Halsy* for its screenplay, calling it the best script of any film he had made. His praise stands apart from the better-known films he associated with his favourite role and his greatest film, showing that the work he valued most did not necessarily match his most celebrated successes.
Redford played Halsy, one half of the title duo, after agreeing to make the film for Paramount to avoid legal action when he withdrew from *Blue*. He made it while also filming *Downhill Racer*, disliked the experience and clashed with the director, but later praised writer Charles Eastman’s script as the most interesting, funny, sad, real and original he had encountered. The film was his only acting role between his busy years of 1969 and 1972.
In short
- Redford called *Little Fauss and Big Halsy* his best script.
- He made it while filming *Downhill Racer*.
- He later praised its humour, sadness and originality.
Explained simply
Robert Redford was an American actor and filmmaker whose career included both popular films and more unusual projects. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was taking on a range of acting roles as his profile was rising.
Little Fauss and Big Halsy is a 1970 drama about two men involved in motorcycle racing. Redford played Halsy, alongside Michael J. Pollard as Fauss; Charles Eastman wrote the screenplay and Sidney J. Furie directed the film.
The film was made for Paramount after Redford withdrew from another project, Blue, and he was also working on Downhill Racer at the time. His later praise for Eastman’s writing offers a glimpse of how an actor may value a film’s script even when the film is less widely remembered than his best-known work.