How Robert Redford Fell in Love with the Red Sox
Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images via iStock.com
It turns out that Newport isn’t the only thing that Robert Redford likes about New England.
The 79-year-old actor revealed that he’s actually a longtime member of Red Sox Nation in a recent interview with the Boston Globe about his new Disney flick Pete’s Dragon. While growing up in Santa Monica, California, Redford said that he fell in love with the team thanks to the on-field acumen of Hall of Fame hitter Ted Williams.
““Ted was my hero when I was a kid” he told the Globe. “He was from California, and I was from California. He was left-handed, and I was left-handed. And I wanted to be a professional ballplayer.”
Although Redford never got the chance to play in the big leagues, he did get the opportunity to pretend to be a ballplayer in the classic 1984 drama The Natural. His character, Roy Hobbs, is an homage to Williams and even sports the Red Sox legend’s famed No. 9 on his jersey in the film.
If you’re iffy about Redford’s allegiance to Boston, his thoughts about watching a game against New York should ease those fears.
“I had the joy of my life a few years ago when I sat behind the catcher at Fenway and they beat the Yankees,” he told the Globe.
Welcome to the club, Rob.
