Robert Redford: 'Celebrity Would Get In Way Of A Political Career'....
Actor/director Robert Redford dismissed the idea of a career in politics after witnessing first-hand how his celebrity would prove too distracting for him to be taken seriously.The All The President's Men star became disillusioned when he followed Democrat candidate George McGovern's U.S. presidential campaign in 1972 - and he soon realised he could attract a larger crowd simply because he was a Hollywood star.Redford tells Playboy magazine, "Every film about politics I've made makes the point that politics compromises you. Your hands are tied, and I would never want to be in that position."I lost all interest in going into politics around the time the Watergate break-in occurred. I was promoting The Candidate, and I did a whistle-stop train tour with George McGovern and some other candidates."I wanted to make the point that I could draw more people just by standing on the back of the train. And that's what happened. They would draw 300 or 400 people, then I would go out and get 3,000 or 4,000."I would tell the crowds, 'Thank you all for coming. My fellow Americans, I just want you to know I have absolutely nothing important to say.' And they would cheer."The veteran actor/director reveals how he feels sorry for screen heart-throbs Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, because it's so easy for potential stalkers to track stars down these days.
The 71-year-old, who had his share of obsessed fans during his '60s and '70s heyday, admits today's celebrities have to deal with a lot worse than he ever did.
He tells Playboy magazine, "On my birthday one year, we were on the property in Utah and some woman came down out of the trees. She was stark naked and carrying a cake, walking toward the house. They led her away, but there was always another girl.
"Sometimes I don't know how I survived, but I really don't know how the younger generation - Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and everybody on down - survives, since it's a thousand times more intense.".
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