Robert Redford's 'Unfinished Life'

Robert Redford is a true Hollywood legend who has starred in some of the most popular films of the last forty years. His latest is "An Unfinished Life," which is only his sixth film of the last decade.

The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith recently sat down with Redford and asked him why he is not seen on screen more often.

"The business has changed," Redford says, "The business is what it is; it's a business. Therefore, it's hard to do the films like 'An Unfinished Life' that are more humanistic. I've always been selective, and usually like to do my own things. But as that narrows down, it becomes more and more difficult. But I love it. My love is performing and directing."

In "An Unfinished Life" Robert Redford plays Einer Gylikson, a Wyoming rancher whose life fell apart when his son died in a car accident over a decade earlier.

Redford explains, "Einer still blames his daughter-in-law, played by Jennifer Lopez, for his son's death. When she reappears with the granddaughter he never knew, he must learn forgiveness. He is helped by his best friend, played by Morgan Freeman."

Einer is a very pained, very troubled person. Asked how the actor makes the kind of anger his character feels so real, Redford says, "You have to go someplace and get in touch with it. You can't put those kinds of words on the screen without some kind of reference. It would be impossible. It wouldn't make any sense. I know that territory, by association, not necessarily personal experience, but by association."

It's not like Redford is unrecognizable in this movie, but…

"That's too bad, I was working so hard," Redford says.

Not shaving, and…

"It was great," Redford says, "I know those guys in the west, and they're not exclusive to the west. You can find them other places in the country, who are embittered by some experience they couldn't get beyond. And the issue above everything was forgiveness. And the idea of playing a crusty guy who'd gone to seed after having played a rancher, who was healthy, and took care of horses, good guy, and solid, was very appealing.

Maybe that's the real Redford.

"Yeah, I think so. Don't tell anybody, will you?" Redford requests laughing, "Forty years of a big secret."

The film also costars a bear named Bart. This was not Redford's first experience with a bear on film. When making 1972's "Jeremiah Johnson," he had a harrowing experience.

"I had to wrestle with a bear," Redford recalls, "That was…I said after that, 'Boy, I hope I never do this again.' So here you go."

Did he vow that he would never work with a bear again?

"I vowed after that scene because there was a scene where things went wrong," Redford says, "I had to be chased by a bear and get up into a tree. The camera wasn't ready, and they told me to keep running around in circles while they got the camera fixed.

"We were at 10,000 feet in Utah and I was running out of gas. I was in boots that were leather-soled. The bear was closing in. Now, he's supposed to be playing. Once I started to run, he got really excited. Pretty soon he was chasing me. And I said if this guy gets me, his idea of play is going to be the end of me. So I threw the rifle out and got on that tree so fast. Now, once it was done, I mean, I was sweating bullets. I said, not again. Not again."

But Redford's most celebrated costar is fellow screen legend Paul Newman, who says he is getting to the point where he's not really going to make movies anymore.

"Oh, thank heavens," Redford says smiling, "I wondered when that day would come. It should have happened 35 years ago."

But Newman has hinted that he would do another movie with Redford.

Jokingly Redford says, "Well I would love to do a movie with Paul, but he can't remember lines. And that concerns me. You know, I'd hate to have to carry him in a movie, you know? It'd be tough."

Seriously, he says, "We are talking about it. Good guy; he's a good guy."

Asked if it is a way to revisit the past, Redford says, "Never revisit the past, that's dangerous. You know, move on."

It was announced this week that Redford would be awarded the highly prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in December.