In a softball interview on Monday’s NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer teed up liberal actor Robert Redford to push propaganda about his latest role as disgraced CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather: “60 Minutes did a piece on George W. Bush and his National Guard service. It was called into question when documents it was based on were thought to perhaps be forgeries. Did you have a viewpoint, once you started reading up on it, going into making the project?”
Using talking points straight from Rather himself, Redford dismissed the scandal “...the whole thing unraveled over what was a small technicality at that time that was blown into major thing. And the bigger story was of course the story that Dan and Mary Mapes were working on about the Air National Guard. And suddenly that got pushed away in favor of this small glitch that became the scandal.”
Instead of actually challenging Redford’s false assertions with CBS’s own condemnation of the film, Lauer gave the actor a chance to lecture on the importance of journalism: “Do you want people to walk out of the theater, though, with bigger questions in their mind about journalism....Do you want them to ask bigger questions about journalism and political coverage and things?”
Redford proclaimed: “Yes. That would be my hope. I would hope that whatever the film does, it would raise a question that has people pay more attention to journalism and the value of journalism, because I think it's so important....when politics intrudes on the truth, it gets tricky and that affects journalism.”
It was Rather who allowed his liberal politics to intrude on the truth in an effort to take down a Republican president with fraudulent documents.
Lauer wondered: “...was it awkward or difficult to play such an iconic figure? I mean, Dan Rather is known to so many people in this country.”
Redford replied: “It was tricky....And my job was to be careful not to caricature him, but to find the essence of him.”
Here is a full transcript of the October 12 interview:
8:20 AM ET
MATT LAUER: Screen legend Robert Redford, no stranger to the newsroom. Well known for his role playing Bob Woodward in All The President's Men. He now heads back to the news business, this time taking on the roll of former CBS News anchor Dan Rather in the new film Truth. Take a look.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Redford’s “Rather” Good Role; Acting Legend Takes on Iconic Reporter in Truth]
CATE BLANCHETT [AS MARY MAPES]: General, this is Dan Rather.
ROBERT REDFORD [AS DAN RATHER]: General.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN [ACTOR]: Sir.
REDFORD: Thank you for doing this. Let's start from the beginning.
LAUER: Robert Redford, welcome back. It’s good to see you.
REDFORD: Good to see you.
LAUER: This is based on a story that made national headlines back in 2004. A lot of people's reputations were tarnished. A lot of people lost their job[s]. Were you following it closely at the time it was happening?
REDFORD: No. I was just vaguely aware of it. In 2004, I was busy, I was filming. So I was vaguely aware of it, but I knew – I knew there was a story there, and there was.
LAUER: Yeah, the basics of it, Dan Rather and 60 Minutes did a piece on George W. Bush and his National Guard service. It was called into question when documents it was based on were thought to perhaps be forgeries. Did you have a viewpoint, once you started reading up on it, going into making the project?
REDFORD: No. I mean, that research was up to other people. But I think what was interesting about it is that, that – the whole thing unraveled over what was a small technicality at that time that was blown into major thing. And the bigger story was of course the story that Dan and Mary Mapes were working on about the Air National Guard. And suddenly that got pushed away in favor of this small glitch that became the scandal.
LAUER: Do you want people to walk out of the theater, though, with bigger questions in their mind about journalism-
REDFORD: Well, I just assume they didn't walk out of the theater.
LAUER: Just stay there and watch it on a loop over and over again?
REDFORD: Just see it again, yeah.
LAUER: Do you want them to ask bigger questions about journalism and political coverage and things?
REDFORD: Yes. That would be my hope. I would hope that whatever the film does, it would raise a question that has people pay more attention to journalism and the value of journalism, because I think it's so important. I always have. It’s been thematic in some of the work I’ve done. The value of journalism and how journalism sometimes – when politics intrudes on the truth, it gets tricky and that affects journalism. And I think journalism is so key, so important for the – for our knowledge and our well-being. So I'm big on journalism and keeping it alive.
LAUER: A couple of things, was it awkward or difficult to play such an iconic figure? I mean, Dan Rather is known to so many people in this country.
REDFORD: It was tricky. It was tricky because I had the difficult task of playing somebody that everybody was familiar with. They saw him nightly. They didn't see me nightly, you know? And so, therefore, had this thing happened maybe in 2013, I wouldn't have touched it. But the fact there was enough time so he was off the air for a long enough time. And my job was to be careful not to caricature him, but to find the essence of him. So that’s what I hope the performance is, it’s the essence of Dan without being – without caricaturing him.
LAUER: I look at your career at this stage, it’s been long and varied. Did you always assume that great juicy roles would just continue to move in your direction or are you somewhat pleasantly surprised by the fact that you're still getting these opportunities?
REDFORD: I'm pleasantly surprised. You know, you don't know of anything – there’s no such thing as continuity if you're an actor. You can't imagine continuity because you don't know what the next day is going to be. Sometimes it brings a crash, you know? So you don't know what to expect, you just hope. You just keep working long and hope that what you do lands with the public enough where you do it again. That’s it.
LAUER: More often than not with you, it does.
REDFORD: Thank you.
LAUER: Robert Redford, great to see you.
REDFORD: It’s nice to see you.
LAUER: Welcome back. Good to see you.
