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Jeremiah Johnson is a gripping tale of one man’s journey to learn how to survive in nature. Robert Redford, who portrayed the protagonist, shared many similarities with his character.

“I think Redford might well have been a mountain man if he lived at that particular time. He is a man who places a great deal of value on solitude, and he’s terribly concerned with the ecology,” said director Sydney Pollack. “He loves nature. He’s just an avid skier and horseback rider, and he spends hours off alone just wandering into back areas of unexplored places.”

The movie actually filmed on and near Redford’s Utah property near the mountains.

“I’ve bought hundreds of acres around my home. That’s why I moved here from the coast. There’s plenty of room to roam and be alone with nature,” said Redford. “That’s living. The city life merely existing.”

Temperatures would sometimes reach negative 25 degrees Fahrenheit, making it hard to even start a fire just to stay warm while working.

Besides the outdoors connection, Redford also enjoyed doing his own stunts for the movie.

“I like the tough stuff. Half the fun of making movies is doing the action scenes. Anyone can say the words.” He said, “The stunt guys are really necessary, and I never do the stunts where a pro can pull it off safer and better.”