Meryl Streep is one of many Hollywood icons to weigh in on the death of legendary actor and director Robert Redford Tuesday.
Streep and Redford worked together multiple times throughout their distinguished careers. They both starred in 2007’s Lions for Lambs alongside Tom Cruise, a film that Redford directed, and most notably were the two featured performers in Out of Africa, Sydney Pollack’s 1985 romantic drama.
Redford, 89, passed away Tuesday morning at home in Utah surrounded by family. Since his death was announced, tributes have been pouring in from across the entertainment world.
Streep offered her condolences in a statement to Deadline, referring to Redford as “one of the lions.”
“One of the lions has passed. Rest in peace my lovely friend,” Streep said.
Redford, Streep’s connection was apparent
Redford and Streep were never in an off-screen relationship with each other, but the two had an undeniable bond while working together, both admitted.
For her part, Streep has said in the past she “had a crush” on Redford and called the renowned heartthrob the “best kisser” she encountered in Hollywood.
In the 2019 book Queen Meryl, Redford recounted that their connection was so strong it irked Pollack during the filming of Out of Africa.
“It caused ripples. We liked to talk. We’d be off-camera, between takes, taking it easy. We had a sense of humour in common. But Sydney didn’t like that. He would break it up,” Redford said.
“It bothered him that I was connecting with her in some way that didn’t fit his picture of me or us as a team. That wasn’t easy to deal with, because I felt I was in a vice and I became resentful.”
Their most famous collaboration? That shampoo scene
One of the most lasting images of Out of Africa is Redford washing Streep’s hair in a South African river. In 2024, Streep confessed that that was her favorite love scene of her career.
“It’s a sex scene in a way, because it’s so intimate. We’ve seen so many scenes of people f—–g, but we don’t see that loving touch, that care,” Streep told the audience at an awards ceremony at Cannes Film Festival.
At first, Streep admitted Redford wasn’t the smoothest with his hair treatment, but after some pointers from her hair and makeup team, he got it down pat.
“I was in love by take 5,” Streep said.
