In a playful dig at the Academy, Jane Fonda questioned the choice of Barbra Streisand to honor Robert Redford during the ceremony's In Memoriam segment. Following the star-studded event, Fonda jokingly suggested that she had "more to say" than Streisand due to her longstanding history with the late actor. "I want to know how come Streisand was up there doing that for Redford?" Fonda told Entertainment Tonight. She noted that Streisand "only made one movie with him, I made four! I have more to say."
Fonda, who was "always in love" with Redford, praised his "gorgeousness" and "great values." She also acknowledged his significant impact on the film industry, stating that he "really changed movies, lifted up independent movies."
The two shared a friendship that spanned over five decades, with Redford's breakout role in Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park" leading to their collaboration in 1967. Following Redford's passing, Fonda shared a heartfelt statement. "It hit me hard this morning when I read that Bob was gone. I can't stop crying. He meant a lot to me and was a beautiful person in every way. He stood for an America we have to keep fighting for," she said in a statement.
Streisand, who starred opposite Redford in "The Way We Were," also remembered their on-screen chemistry and off-screen connection. "Every day on the set of ‘The Way We Were’ was exciting, intense, and pure joy," she said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We were such opposites: he was from the world of horses; I was allergic to them! Yet, we kept trying to find out more about each other, just like the characters in the movie."
She further described Redford as "charismatic, intelligent, intense, always interesting – and one of the finest actors ever." Reflecting on their final visit, Streisand shared a touching memory: "The last time I saw him, when he came to lunch, we discussed art and decided to send each other our first drawings." She concluded, "He was one of a kind, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him."
In September 2025, Redford passed away at the age of 89 at his home at Sundance in Utah. "Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah – the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved," his representative told Fox News Digital. "He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy."
The Hollywood icon was best known for classics like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting."
