Movies - TV
A Fantastic Twilight Zone Episode Was Almost Ruined By Robert Redford
By VALERIE ETTENHOFER
Season 3’s episode of "The Twilight Zone," titled "Nothing in the Dark," may have left a strong impression on viewers, but a young Robert Redford almost left it dead in the water.
Episode director Lamont Johnson didn't outright disparage Redford's performance, but Marc Scott Zicree notes in his book "The Twilight Zone Companion" that the actor wasn't great.
While Johnson wasn't critical of Redford, the director did admit that he was cast for his looks. "I saw him on 'Playhouse 90' [...] I thought he was amazing looking," Johnson said.
Redford played a Nazi soldier in "Playhouse 90," but Johnson saw an all-American quality to him that was fitting for a script about an ultimately benevolent incarnation of Death.
The actor’s performance in "Twilight Zone" was helped out by a wonderful script, and he worked together beautifully with his co-stars, Gladys Cooper and R.G. Armstrong.