We all know Willie Nelson the iconic country singer at this point. Stardust, Shotgun Willie, anything with Waylon Jennings, the resume is hefty. However, what might go unnoticed by some of the casuals is his work in film. Cinephiles will definitely notice him from his role in Michael Mann's Thief or diehard fans will remember films like Honeysuckle Rose. With his stardom and a connection with Robert Redford, his transition into film is relatively seamless. It also allows Nelson to chase a massive passion project of his: making a film for Red Headed Stranger.
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Back in 1975, Willie expressed how badly he wished he could've made his Red Headed Stranger album in tandem with a film of the same name. Obviously, it didn't work out that way and his concept stayed in album form, at least for a while.
Willie Nelson Goes Through Hurdles Trying to Make 'Red Headed Stranger' Film
As Willie was making his way as an actor, he made friends with scriptwriter Bill Wittliff. They quickly come together as friends and Bill finds himself enraptured by Red Headed Stranger to write it as a screenplay. Then, the script caught the eye of Universal Pictures. However, they weren't exactly sold on Nelson as their leading man despite making the album.
Willie writes, "My idea was to make the movie with their money through my production company. Of course, I'd play the Red Headed Stranger. Universal didn't see it that way. They saw Robert Redford in the role."
Truthfully, Universal really wanted Robert Redford to play the lead but the actor didn't really see himself in the role. Consequently, the film stays in a sort of purgatory for a little while. However, Willie grows restless and throws caution to the wind by buying the rights to the film and doing it himself with Bill Wittliff.
He explained, " "I bought the rights [to Red Headed Stranger] back and, together with writer Bill Wittliff, became a producer. That meant finding my own money."
With Bill on board to direct his script, Nelson and co. undergo the exhaustive work of setting everything up on his property west of Austin, Texas. The rest is history.
