Early on in Robert Redford's interview, a reporter asks him a difficult question: What do you think your role is in repairing the world? With a moment of hesitation Redford answers simply: "I never thought that I could repair the world. I don't think that any one person can repair the world, but I think that we can all play a part in trying."
The question is not completely unexpected given that Lions for Lambs, which Redford directs and stars in, deals with people in separate situations all grappling with that same question. The film's plot is a bit of a jumble, jumping from a college professor with his apathetic pupil to a news reporter and a congressman to a pair of soldiers in Afghanistan. It is impossible to ignore the film's political themes, though Redford says Lions for Lambs isn't about partisan politics. "This film was already categorized before it was even seen as a left wing film," he explains, "It's not."
Redford has a history of starring in political films, some serious (think All the President's Men) and some less so (think Spy Games). He's no stranger to movies with sensitive scenarios, but he is adamant that his approach is a departure from the traditional political message film. "I try to avoid sending messages in films. That can be dangerous. I'm more interested in provoking thought."
When asked about the place Lions for Lambs holds among so many political films coming out this season, Redford is quick to acknowledge the caution he took making a film that deals so directly with current politics. "This movie is very, very carefully not about the Iraq war. The focus is on Afghanistan. The action sequences involving the military and the war zone are really fodder for deeper issues that I think the film is trying to raise." According to him, the question he's really trying to ask with the film is, "What are the conditions and factors that led us to the situation with regard to the media, politics and lack of education that bring us to this place?"
When asked about the early screening of Lions for Lambs at Penn's Annenberg Center, Redford responds enthusiastically, "I was energized by the fact that [students] were there and that they were interested to come and that they seemed to respond . I wanted to come here and show the film to students as much for my sake as for theirs." One thing he was not expecting, however, was the impromptu student poll regarding his "sexiness." When asked what he thought of the poll, Redford only responded with a laugh.
