Robert Redford’s Last Onscreen Moment Was a Joke at George R.R. Martin’s Expense
Fans are looking back at Robert Redford’s final on-screen role after the Hollywood icon’s passing at 89, and it’s not in the MCU like many might assume. His last appearance came in the AMC drama Dark Winds, where he shared a cameo with none other than George R.R. Martin, and it even included a funny Winds of Winter joke.
In the scene, Redford and Martin appear as prisoners sitting across from each other in a tense game of chess. At one point, Redford delivers the line: “George, the whole world’s waiting. Make a move.”
The wink to Martin’s long-delayed The Winds of Winter, the next installment in A Song of Ice and Fire, is pretty impossible to miss.
Director Chris Eyre revealed to Vulture that the moment wasn’t scripted, saying Redford came up with the quip himself. “He was so nice on the day,” Eyre recalled, describing the experience of filming the cameo for the season 3 premiere. The scene even sees Dark Winds lead Zach McClarnon’s Joe Leaphorn step in to offer some chess advice.
Redford, of course, leaves behind one of the most remarkable careers in Hollywood history. From Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969 to his role as the founder of the Sundance Film Festival, he shaped generations of film lovers.
Following news of his passing, tributes poured in from across the industry, with legends like Meryl Streep and Barbra Streisand calling him “one of the finest actors ever.”
As for Martin, he’s still working on The Winds of Winter more than a decade after A Dance with Dragons. He’s been candid about the struggle, calling it “the curse of my life” but noting that he does have “periods” of progress.
So while Redford may have closed out his career with a playful jab at Martin’s unfinished saga, it’s a fitting final bow for a man who never stopped having fun with the craft.
