Redford backs Obama for president

Robert Redford tonight declared he was backing Barack Obama to be the next US President.

The Oscar-winning screen legend said the Democratic hopeful had galvanised America’s youth and was what the country needed.

“I think Obama is a really good person, I think he is smart. I believe he represents what the country needs most now – which is change,” he said.

The director and actor, best known for classic roles in 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' and 'The Sting', is in Ireland to be conferred with an honorary degree by Trinity College Dublin.

Well-known for his environmental activism, he could not contain his feelings for George Bush and the present Washington administration during an evening talk at the university.

“We need to get the whole gang out, get the new group in,” he said.

“I hope (Obama) will win, I think he will. If he doesn’t you can kiss the Democratic Party goodbye.”

Redford also revealed his heartbreak at the recent death of his long-time friend, the renowned director, producer and actor Sydney Pollack.

The pair who worked together on several films first met in 1960 on the set of the movie 'Warhunt', a clip of which was shown at Pollack’s funeral service last month.

“There was something about seeing us there in the clip that touched me,” Redford told a packed auditorium, who gave him a standing ovation on his arrival.

The film star also revealed his regret that he hadn’t worked more with his sometimes on-screen partner and close friend Paul Newman.

Both had talked about doing another film together but insisted it would only be if the script was unique rather than drawn up to try and recreate their famous chemistry.

Redford said that Hollywood studio bosses wanted to bring back the pair’s classic double act in 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'.

“They wanted to do a sequel,” he said. “I thought that was nuts – didn’t they see the last scene.”