The world continues to mourn the loss of iconic actor, director, and activist Robert Redford, who passed away at the age of 89 in his Utah home the morning of September 16.
For award-winning actress Scarlett Johansson, this is the loss of both a lifelong career inspiration and a lifelong friend.
The actress spoke about her experience learning from working with Redford in an interview with Variety on September 7. In response to a question about her biggest industry inspirations for her directorial work, she called watching him work ‘transformative.’
She admits to finding inspiration in Redford’s dual roles as both actor and director, a career path she later pursued in her own life.
His influence on young Johansson during the filming of 1998’s “The Horse Whisperer” helped her realize the difficult and influential work that goes into acting and directing.
“At a very young age, experiencing him as my director was really transformative for me,” Johansson told Variety. “I actually understood, yeah, this is like a job. There’s a moment where you go from being a kid actor to being an actor where you start to understand the work.”
Being Directed by Redford on “The Horse Whisperer”
Johansson opened up about the impact of working alongside Redford on “The Horse Whisperer” in 1998 when she was just 13 years old. When Johansson walked onto that set, she was a child actress stepping into her biggest role to date.
In the film, Johansson plays traumatized teenager Grace MacLean, who is struggling to cope after accidentally injuring her horse. Her mother, Annie MacLean, played by Kristin Scott Thomas, relocates them to a Montana ranch, where ‘horse whisperer’ Tom Booker (Redford) helps to heal the horse and, in turn, the MacLean family’s sorrow.
Johansson recalled her experience being directed by Redford while acting alongside him, which influenced her later ambitions to direct.
“I certainly had that experience with him where I understood I was getting so much more from him as an actor,” Johansson told Variety in an interview for her upcoming directorial debut, “Eleanor the Great.”
Redford’s Lasting Impact on the Industry
Redford’s hefty filmography has the potential to inspire more actors than just Johansson to try their hands at directing for years to come.
His most celebrated directorial works include “Ordinary People” (1980), which won him an Academy Award for Best Director, the 1994 dramatic thriller “Quiz Show,” and “A River Runs Through It” (1992), starring Brad Pitt.
As the world posthumously reflects on Redford’s immense legacy, Johansson’s ongoing inspiration underscores an extra layer of his impact: the way he has nurtured younger generations of artists with his talent and care.
