It was actress Barbra Streisand who was in charge of remembering and speaking about the actor, who passed away on September 16 at the age of 89, with whom she shared the screen in The Way We Were, the 1973 romantic drama directed by Sydney Pollack, for which the singer also sang the film's main song.
Asked about this gala moment by Entertainment Tonight during a party after the Oscars ceremony, Jane Fonda (88) said: "I want to know why Streisand was up there doing it for Redford. She only did one movie with him, I did four! I have much more to say".
The Chase (1966), Barefoot in the Park (1968), The Electric Horseman (1979), and Our Souls at Night (2017) are the four films the actress refers to in which, over the decades, she shared scenes with Redford. While Streisand only did The Way We Were with the actor.
In the same interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jane Fonda also spoke fondly of Redford, describing the impact he had on her life and the film industry. "I was always in love with him. A wonderful human being with incredible values. And he did a lot for cinema, he truly changed cinema, he boosted independent cinema".
After his passing on September 16 last year, Fonda already shared a statement reflecting on her friendship with the filmmaker: "I was deeply affected when I read this morning that Bob had passed away. I can't stop crying. He meant a lot to me and was a wonderful person in every way. He represented the America we have to keep fighting for".
During the ceremony, Barbra Streisand paid tribute to Redford before performing live the song The Way We Were, over a decade after last singing it at another Oscars ceremony, in honor of composer Marvin Hamlisch.
"He was a brilliant and subtle actor. And we had a great time interacting because we never quite knew what the other was going to do in the scene," she said visibly moved on the stage of the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.