During the 2002 campaign for one of South Carolina's U.S. Senate seats, I was helping Democrat Alex Sanders take on Republican Lindsey Graham, and I learned that Robert Redford had offered to travel from Asheville, where he was acting in "The Clearing" with Willem Dafoe, to appear at several Sanders fundraising events in the Charleston area. Redford regarded Sanders as a pro-environment ally.

I was asked to serve as his driver, and picked him up in my SUV, which also held Sanders and a few others. Our schedule was tight, so I drove fast on Interstate 26 — too fast, as I soon saw blue lights behind us. Redford told me not to worry. I hopped out, quickly went up to the highway patrolman and told him, "I know you're not going to believe this, but I have Robert Redford in my car."

The actor

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