Redford cast the 11-year-old Johansson in 1998’s The Horse Whisperer
When Scarlett Johansson was 11 years old, Robert Redford cast her in the neo-Western drama The Horse Whisperer. In a statement shared with Rolling Stone in light of Redford’s death, the actress shared the formative memories of working with the actor so young.
Redford directed and starred in the film, playing a gifted horse trainer tasked with helping an injured teen (Johansson) and her horse following an accident. “Every day before each scene, he would take the time to sit with me and walk me through all of the beats that led my character up until that particular point in the story,” Johansson recalls. “No matter the reality of the days’ rush, I always felt he had all the time in the world for our work. Bob created an environment on set that was calm and precious; a place where actors could make discoveries. He was patient and warm and kind.”
She goes on to share the ways her experience with Redford and his generosity shaped the rest of her career. “Bob taught me what acting could be, and it was from his generosity and patience that I was inspired to pursue the possibilities of the craft,” she says. “That same generosity and love of the art inspired Bob’s creation of Sundance, a place where filmmakers learn from one another, inspire one another, and discover one another’s talent. Bob, thank you for your belief in me and for your grace and guidance. You inspired so many artists, myself included, to go deeper, to stay present, to push creative boundaries, and to explore further, and for that, we are forever grateful.”
Redford died at his Utah home Tuesday morning. The Oscar-winning actor, director, and Sundance Institute founder, was 89. During his lifetime, he was a celebrated activist whose work amplified social and environmental causes and indicted the political system.
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