August 1999
The Other Redford
By Kelly McCarthy
We’ll have to wait until 2002 for Robert Redford’s Sundance Cinema at Penn, but the star’s son, James, has already brought us some movie magic. The 37-year-old produced The Kindness of Strangers, a documentary on organ transplants to air next month on HBO, much of which was shot at Center City’s Gift of Life Donor Program. "It’s one of the best programs," says James. "This past April, donations resulted in 121 lifesaving transplants - the largest number in any one region in the U.S." The project was born of James’s own organ ordeal: Complications followed his liver transplant for primary sclerosing cholangitis, and the prognosis was so grim that Robert set about canceling production on Quiz Show before his only son’s second - and successful - transplant. But James urged his father to continue. "It was an excellent distraction for my dad at a time when he was basically helpless," he says. "My film," he adds, "comes from an urge to thank, to give back, and hopefully to bring the opportunity of transplant to other people." - Kelly McCarthy
Copyright 1999 Philadelphia Magazine