Robert Redford was active in Hollywood for decades spanning from 1959 to 2019. The Academy Award-winning director announced his retirement from movies back in 2018 after filming his scenes in Avengers: Endgame. Earlier, Redford was approached by the Russo brothers to play the main antagonist in their 2014 Marvel project, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
The Sting actor was immediately attracted to the role as it was different from his usual roles and also he had the chance to experience the new-age filmmaking. Redford initially decided to go into retirement after his movie The Old Man & the Gun, but he made an exception for Marvel.
Robert Redford Came Out Of Retirement To Film Avengers: Endgame
In Avengers: Endgame, Robert Redford reprised his role as Alexander Pierce from Captain America, a high-ranking SHIELD official who is revealed to be the leader of HYDRA. The Spy Game actor hinted at his retirement plans in an interview with his grandson, Dylan Redford, back in 2016. Redford remarked that he was tired of acting and that he was an impatient person who couldn’t sit around waiting for takes.
However, the Truth actor had to come out of his supposed retirement after The Old Man & the Gun for Avengers: Endgame. Although the character met its demise in the Captain America movie, Alexander Pierce made an appearance in the fourth Avengers movie during a time-travel sequence when the Avengers go back in time to retrieve the infinity stones.
It appears that the Russo brothers somehow could convince him for this final role. As The Gray Man directors recalled in their commentary track in the digital release of Endgame, Redford announced his retirement on the sets of the last movie in Marvel Phase 3.
Russo Brothers Caused Robert Redford To Break His Golden Rule
Interestingly, Robert Redford had maintained a personal rule not to play the same character more than once throughout his decades-long career. However, Marvel broke this tradition when they cast him as Alexander Pierce again. Thus, the movie became his last acting role as well as the only instance in which he played a character twice.
Joe Russo emphasized this in his commentary, stating, “That was his last day of acting. Ever.” Joe Russo also mentioned that he was honored to direct Redford’s last movie after working seven years with the Marvel projects. However, Anthony Russo noted that the Brubaker actor might reconsider his decision in the future.
Christopher Markus, the co-writer of Avengers: Endgame who was also present with the Russo brothers in the commentary, responded that he was rooting for Redford’s comeback. After Endgame, Redford also gave his voice to the 2020 film Omniboat directed by his grandson, Dylan Redford.
Source: Comicbook
