Robert Redford Breaks Six-Year Hiatus with “Dark Winds” Cameo, Chess and Charm Included
Well, well, well! If it isn’t the legendary Robert Redford gracing our screens once again after a six-year sabbatical from acting. The 88-year-old icon made a cameo in the season 3 premiere of AMC’s “Dark Winds,” alongside none other than George R. R. Martin, the man behind the “Game of Thrones” phenomenon. This delightful duet of antiquity unfolded behind bars—yes, you read that right—where the two play a riveting game of chess, with Martin’s character delivering a checkmate to Redford’s with a little help from series star Zahn McClarnon, who plays the Navajo police officer Joe Leaphorn.
Interestingly, this moment has been brewing since the show’s inaugural season, with director Chris Eyre revealing that the idea of these literary heavyweights cameoing had been “in the air” for years. Initially, they pondered making an appearance in the season 2 finale, but ultimately decided to wait for this season’s debut. Talk about building anticipation!
Now, for the trivia buffs out there, Redford’s last acting credit before this gem was in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” where he reprised his role from “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” In between, he dabbled in voice work, lending his talents to projects like “Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia” and even narrating a performance art piece by his wife, Sibylle Szaggars Redford. Not to mention a cheeky voice cameo in HBO’s “White House Plumbers.”
As for Martin, he hasn’t graced the screen as an actor since 2015, when he appeared as himself in various projects, including “Z Nation” and the delightfully ridiculous “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!” It seems both of these titans were itching for a dash of nostalgia and a sprinkle of fun amidst their executive producer roles on the intriguing series that spotlights Navajo police work in the 1970s.
So, if you’re in the mood for nostalgia mixed with some high-stakes chess and a touch of legendary charm, make sure to tune in to “Dark Winds,” airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET. As if we needed another reason to love Sunday nights!
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, Vulture, AMC, IMDb
Image Credit: Title: Untitled, Author: No author info, License: [‘cc_attribute’, ‘cc_nonderived’, ‘cc_publicdomain’]
