Robert Redford Writes Love Letter to Newport, Rhode Island

Photo via iStock/EdStock

Robert Redford is hardly a stranger to Newport, Rhode Island.

The 1974 film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, which starred Redford and Mia Farrow, was shot in Newport, making use of its Rosecliff and Marble House mansions.

Redford’s been back in town the last two months shooting The Discovery, a romantic science fiction film set one year after evidence of the afterlife is found. Filming locations for the film, which stars Jason Segal and Rooney Mara, included Newport Hospital, Seaview Terrace, Bellevue Avenue and Second Beach.

To express his gratitude, Redford penned an open letter, submitted to the Newport Daily News by the Rhode Island Film and TV Office:

I have had the privilege of working on two films in Newport the first time in 1974 with ‘The Great Gatsby’ and most recently on the film, ‘The Discovery’.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to become re-acquainted with the City and its people. I was pleasantly surprised that, some 40 years later, the City looks and feels almost exactly as it did when I first came here. I commend the community for the vision and care demonstrated to ensure for the preservation of its historical and culturally significant properties.

Finally, I was most appreciative of the hospitality extended to me and my colleagues during our stay in Newport. For me, the welcoming and warm spirit of the community will not soon be forgotten.

Redford, 79, won an Academy Award for Best Director for Ordinary People in 1981.