BRUISED EGOS & EPIC BATTLES Inside the making of The Way We Were

Iconic actors Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford played lovers but off screen it was a different story

It's a classic Hollywood love story, praised for the on-screen chemistry between its two leads, showbiz icons Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand. But the author of a new book says the making of The Way We Were was far from a fairytale.

Artistic differences and clashing egos threatened to derail the 1973 romance before it even hit the big screen. Robert, now 86, once admitted he had to be convinced to even sign on to the project.

"I thought it was a good script, but the character in the initial script was one-dimensional," said the actor, who also had reservations about his famous co-star. "Her reputation is as a very controlling person. She will direct herself. It'll never work, Robert told director Sydney Pollack, according to Robert Hofler, the author of The Way They Were: How Epic Battles And Bruised Egos Brought A Classic Hollywood Love Story To The Screen.