Leonardo DiCaprio paid public tribute to Robert Redford on the London red carpet and credited the late actor and director with helping to inspire his environmental activism.
DiCaprio, who starred with Redford in the 2008 film Body of Lies, spoke to reporters at the premiere of his new movie One Battle After Another and described Redford as “an absolute legend.” He told Deadline, “I have a lot to say, but it was an incredible loss,” and said Redford’s influence reached beyond his acting and directing work into advocacy for the environment and indigenous rights.
Asked specifically whether Redford had inspired his own environmentalism, DiCaprio replied that Redford had been a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council and had fought to preserve land in Utah. He noted Redford’s role in creating the Sundance Film Festival and in organizing the Sundance Symposium on Global Climate Change, calling him “an inspiration” and “a huge loss.” Earlier on social media, DiCaprio described Redford as “actor, activist, passionate environmentalist, and champion of the arts,” and said his commitment to protecting the planet matched his talent.
Redford, who died in his sleep at his Sundance home in Utah at age 89, had a long record of environmental activism. In 1975 he opposed a proposed power plant in Utah; he later established the Institute for Resource Management to bring stakeholders together on environmental issues and co-founded the Redford Center, a nonprofit focused on environmental impact filmmaking. His work on behalf of conservation and indigenous rights was a through line alongside his career as a leading actor and director.
DiCaprio has been an outspoken advocate on climate change and has called it “the most urgent threat facing our entire species.” He has also faced criticism in recent years from some commentators who accuse prominent climate advocates of failing to reconcile advocacy with personal lifestyles. In his comments about Redford, DiCaprio framed the elder actor’s advocacy and film work as mutually reinforcing, noting the role Sundance has played in elevating independent films with social and environmental themes.
The pair also share a cultural connection: both have portrayed Jay Gatsby on film — Redford in 1974 and DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation.
Hollywood figures and public figures expressed grief and praise following Redford’s death. Director Ron Howard called him an “artistic gamechanger” on social media, and actor Meryl Streep wrote, “One of the lions has passed. Rest in peace my lovely friend.” Author Stephen King said Redford was part of a revitalized Hollywood in the 1970s and 1980s. Others, including William Shatner, Colman Domingo and Marlee Matlin, credited Redford with having a lasting impact on film and on institutions such as Sundance that helped launch and promote independent films.
Redford’s career included starring roles in films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men and The Sting, and he received widespread acclaim as an actor and director. Beyond his screen work, the Sundance Film Festival in Utah — which he helped establish — became a major platform for independent cinema and for films that might not otherwise find wide audiences.
DiCaprio’s tributes on the red carpet and on social media highlighted both Redford’s artistic legacy and his decades-long engagement with environmental causes, framing the actor-director’s death as a loss to the film community and to conservation advocacy.