Icon Robert Redford’s death at age 89 this week has made some question what it takes for Hollywood stars to continue working into their 90s.
The Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid alum and Sundance Film Festival founder might have officially retired from acting in 2018, but he went on to appear in Avengers: Endgame the following year and continued to produce several projects until this year.
Redford isn’t the only Hollywood legend who couldn’t seem to put their career to rest. There are still tons of older actors who continue to work into their 80s and 90s, including Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Harrison Ford.
However, it’s worth pointing out that their days on set look very different from those of their younger counterparts.
George Ellis, urologist and founder of Coronado Beach Productions, told Express US everything an actor needs to consider as they get older, working in Hollywood.
Ellis said, “Today’s sad news of filmmaker Robert Redford’s passing at age 89 raises questions about the impact of acting and filmmaking in general on one’s health.
“There is no question that actors can be subjected to memorizing a script, grueling time schedules of sometimes 10 hour days for several days, rough working conditions and surviving on diets that may not be optimal.
“These factors can cause actors to have to focus more on their craft than on their health.”
The expert then outlined some recommendations. The first is to “do the film work that is required but also think about health maintenance and disease prevention.”
Ellis explained, “A Proper diet, including fresh, healthy food when possible, and adequate hydration. Vitamin supplements. Avoid alcohol when filming, which can make fatigue worse. Exercise by doing cardio exercises and stretching/yoga. If you take prescription medication, take those as per your routine.”
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Ellis also advised, “Sleep as much as possible, which will help ‘recharge your battery.’ Take breaks during filming. Avoid stress.”
He added, “These recommendations are even more important for seniors as the human body is less tolerant of stress at age 70 or 80 than at age 25.”
When offered a script to read, he says, “Look at it carefully and consider the conditions that are required in order to play that role. If it may be too physically taxing for a senior, you may want to opt out of it. There will always be another script on the horizon.”
Ellis continued, “If travel is required, this will generate even more stress, especially if traveling to different time zones. Be attentive to that, giving yourself enough time after filming to recover from the film trip.”
The last thing the urologist says to do is, “If acting becomes a burden, a senior can still be involved in the film industry with training/teaching, producing (less time requirement), or even volunteering on a movie set. Most of these recommendations are valid for everyday life.”
The expert concluded, “The extra toll that the acting lifestyle and craft takes on actors is an additional source of stress that should prompt a signal to think about health maintenance.”
Cindi Berger, CEO of the publicity firm Rogers & Cowan PMK, confirmed Redford’s death to CBS News in a statement.
Berger said he died Tuesday at his home in the mountains of Utah surrounded by loved ones. She didn’t provide details about the circumstances surrounding his death.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
