Robert Redford said no to a sequel to The Way We Were, even after Columbia Pictures and Barbra Streisand wanted to get one off the ground. Speaking to Tom Putnam, he explained the refusal in plain terms: some films should be left alone.
“I still think it’s a mistake,” Redford said, adding, “You leave certain things alone.” He also said, “So I said, no, I won’t do a sequel.”
The Way We Were in 1973
The Way We Were, directed by Sydney Pollack, became one of Redford’s most acclaimed outings. The film won two Oscars from six nominations, added a Golden Globe and two Grammy awards, and recouped its budget ten times over at the box office. That kind of return made sequel talk predictable; Redford’s answer was not.
His refusal also fit a pattern. By the time that sequel talk surfaced, he had already built a career on projects that ended on their own terms rather than feeding a franchise model. That made the decision more than a personal preference. It drew a line between a one-time hit and a repeat business plan.
Columbia Pictures and Barbra Streisand
Columbia Pictures and Barbra Streisand wanted a sequel, but Redford would not move in that direction. He told Tom Putnam, “You did that, and it was a wonderful experience,” then came back to the point that mattered to him: “But it stands on its own.”
He sharpened the argument further: “I think when you try to do a sequel, you’re trying to milk something that is better left alone.” For a studio and a co-star looking to extend a proven title, that was a hard stop. For Redford, the original’s value came from being complete.
Redford's sequel habit
Redford’s stance looks even clearer beside other careers in his era. Jack Nicholson played Garrett Breedlove and Jake Gittes twice. Gene Hackman had The French Connection II. Robert De Niro got his first follow-up out of the way with Hi, Mom! in 1970. Al Pacino had the Godfather trilogy, while Dustin Hoffman returned in a pair of Fockers sequels and the Kung Fu Panda series.
Paul Newman did come back as Fast Eddie Felson in The Color of Money, and Martin Scorsese directed it. Redford did not follow that route with The Way We Were; the sequel never got past the idea stage.
Avengers: Endgame cameo
Redford later returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a brief cameo in Avengers: Endgame, playing Alexander Pierce after first appearing in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The appearance was an exception, not a reversal. It came at the very end of his film career, after he had already made his position on sequels unmistakable.
The clean read is simple: Redford accepted one brief return, but he would not turn The Way We Were into a sequel business. That choice kept the film intact, and it left Columbia Pictures and Barbra Streisand without the follow-up they wanted.
