Barbra Streisand describes Robert Redford as a ‘rare combination’

Barbra Streisand couldn’t imagine anyone but Robert Redford in their 1973 romantic drama “The Way We Were.”

But in her 2023 memoir “My Name is Barbra,” the stage and screen icon detailed the challenges she and director Sydney Pollack faced in landing the actor, who died Sept. 16 at 89.

Although many people first noticed Redford in 1967’s “Barefoot in the Park,” “it was a light comedy and he was perfectly passable,” Streisand writes. “It was only when I watched him in ‘This Property Is Condemned,’ which Sydney directed, that I saw there was a lot going on behind those crystal blue eyes.”

Streisand was “drawn to him not because of his appearance … guys with blond hair and blue eyes were never my type,” she writes. “I did think he was very handsome … a wonderful jawline … great teeth. But what intrigued me most about Bob was his complexity. You never quite know what he’s thinking, and that makes him fascinating to watch on screen.

“Like the greatest movie stars, Bob understands the power of restraint. You’re never going to get it all … and that’s the mystery … that’s what makes you want to keep looking at him.”

The “Funny Girl” actress writes that Redford was the “rare combination” of “an intellectual cowboy” and “a charismatic star who is also one of the finest actors of his generation. But like my husband (James Brolin), he’s almost apologetic about his looks, and I liked that about him.”

Initially, Redford turned the movie down. He was concerned that Arthur Laurents’ script was too focused on Streisand’s character, Katie, and that her love interest, Hubbell, was underdeveloped.

“In Bob’s opinion, he was ‘shallow and one-dimensional,’ ” Streisand writes. “I wanted to make Bob happy, so I told Sydney, ‘Give him anything he wants. Write more scenes to strengthen his character. Make it equal.’”

But even with a punched-up script, Redford still said no. Producer Ray Stark then told Streisand that they should move on and cast her “What’s Up, Doc?” co-star Ryan O’Neal as Hubbell instead. But Streisand’s persistence eventually paid off, and while filming 1972’s “Up the Sandbox” in Africa, she received a telegram that Redford had accepted the role.

“Bob’s reluctance had a big influence on the script and ultimately resulted in a richer, more interesting character,” Streisand says in her memoir.

Streisand writes that it was “great fun” working with Redford, saying they had “a real rapport.” She describes him as an attentive listener who loved to tease her and inspired her to learn how to ski. He was also “kind of a loner,” she says, and they purposefully didn’t spend much time together at the start of filming so they could find their chemistry in character as Katie and Hubbell. 

“Bob and I were genuinely curious about each other, and I believe that’s what comes across on screen,” Streisand writes. “Once he asked me about Brooklyn. What was it like growing up there? I guess he thought I was kind of exotic, but to me, he was the exotic one, growing up in California. Did he surf? Fish? Swim in the ocean after eating?”

Streisand was ultimately “very disappointed” that Redford didn’t receive a best actor Oscar nomination for “The Way We Were,” although he was nominated for “The Sting” that same year. She was nominated for best actress, and the drama’s memorable title ballad won best original song. Much to Streisand’s surprise, Redford later revealed in a 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey that he didn’t want Streisand to sing at all. 

“Maybe he didn’t realize how seamlessly Sydney and (songwriter Marvin Hamlisch) would integrate the song into the movie, to the extent that they’re irrevocably linked to this day,” Streisand writes. 

Years after the film’s release, Streisand called up Redford about his close friend Pollack, who had since dubbed “The Way We Were” a “severely flawed” movie that “nobody had faith in.” 

“Bob was wonderful … open and thoughtful and engaging, as always,” Streisand writes. “We talked for over an hour about everything, from working together on the film to politics and art.”

As they were hanging up, “he said, ‘I gotta go, Babs. I love you dearly, and I always will.’ ”