Actor Robert Redford says adios to Baja California

By: Sandra Dibble

Source: www.utsandiego.com/news

Robert Redford left Baja California last weekend, as quietly as when he first arrived in June to film J.C. Chandor’s “All is Lost” at Baja Studios south of Rosarito Beach.

A few days before returning to the United States, the 75-year-old actor shared some thoughts during a brief meeting with a small group of local Baja California reporters.

Redford told them about his fondness for Mexican culture, his need for privacy, and the pleasure he had taken in working on the film with Chandor.

“The reason I did this film was that he had created a vision that’s fresh and new but was also very bold, and I thought that this was a good thing for me to do at this time in my life,” Redford said.

In the movie, Redford is the lone actor, playing a man fighting for survival at sea.

A video released Friday by the Baja California Tourism Secretariat shows the actor relaxed, frequently joking and laughing while speaking with the reporters.

Redford told them of growing up in Los Angeles, in a neighborhood where most of his neighbors were Mexican. “I’ve always loved enchiladas,” he said, then quipped, “my favorite food is tequila.”

He said “more people should know” about areas of Mexico that are safe, and accused U.S. media of overplaying the violence. “It’s unfortunate since there are so many areas of Mexico that are safe to visit, that more people should know this,” Redford said.