LOS ANGELES -- At 66, Robert Redford might be too old for the demographic that routinely reads ESPN.com's Page 3, but it must be said: the dude is still too cool for the room.

Why? For starters, he scores major points for not taking himself too seriously. Redford, whose boyish good looks once made him one of the sexiest men alive, is allowing himself to age naturally and gracefully in an industry that often feels the need to airbrush 12-year-olds.

Thus, his once flawless face has been replaced with one featuring character-defining lines, deep wrinkles and a smattering of age spots.

Yet, he's still got it. That thick, wild mane of strawberry blonde hair and those sparkling, sky blue eyes were definitely working for him in his latest movie role as a kidnap victim in "The Clearing House," a mystery thriller Redford also produced. It hits theaters July 2 (limited).

Looking good is one thing, but it's his demeanor or, as his "Clearing House" co-star Helen Mirren put it, "his Robert Redfordness" that truly defines the Santa Monica native.

Dressed in blue jeans, a blue button-down shirt and Italian loafers, it is immediately apparent that Redford is a different brand of movie star. There is no entourage, no one fussing over him and no iconic behavior.

And while there might be an ego hidden somewhere in the bowels of his being, it would perhaps take days, weeks or even years for someone to uncover it.

"The Natural" is a natural.

"The weird thing about Bob, and the wonderful thing about Bob is that there's the icon and the movie star Robert Redford and he obviously is that," says Mirren, who plays Redford's angst-ridden wife. "He is that in all of our eyes including mine. But then there is the real Robert Redford who isn't that at all. He is a very easy guy. He's a very modest guy, as far as I could think of. I don't know him like my best friend, but that's my perception. He's a very decent person. He's a very professional person. And he's a very simple.

"So, he is, of course, this iconic, beautiful movie star but he's also this other person who's completely different. He certainly doesn't come on like Robert Redford if you know what I mean."

The real Robert Redford started off as a jock. Growing up in a less than idyllic section of Los Angeles, Redford, was not too unlike the character he played in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." He was extremely crafty, often finding ways of acquiring things that didn't belong to him.

"Sports, saved my life," Redford said with a light sigh. "I was pretty driven as a kid, centering more on baseball than other sports. I swam competitively and played football but baseball was the closest. Up until the time I was about 15, I was thinking I would really like to go for this."

The talented southpaw did go for it in the mid '50s, hurling fastballs for the Colorado Buffaloes. Unfortunately, his collegiate career was cut short when he violated team rules and lost his scholarship. That numbing experience sent Redford packing to New York and Europe where he studied art. Upon his return to New York, he took up acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Redford's collective talents have served him well. He portrayed athletes in "The Natural" and "Downhill Racer"; and he was a producer on "The Legend of Bagger Vance" starring Matt Damon and Will Smith.

His goal was not only to make good movies, but also to show how sports can be a metaphor for life.

"When I was kid I was told that it didn't matter whether you won or lost, it was how you played the game," he said. "But I found that to be a lie. And it so angered me that I decided to make a film about it. So, I made a film called 'Downhill Racer.' And then I just thought, This is great; I played so many sports, won't it be fun to act and really do my own stuff like, 'The Natural' or skiing?"

However, it was "The Natural," a film made 20 years ago about an above-average baseball player who's skills diminished after getting shot, that provided Redford with his proudest moment as an athlete and actor.

"We were making 'The Natural,' and I was supposed to hit the ball," he recalled. "My character was supposed to hit the ball foul. And I asked the director if they could put the camera on me and just give me a chance. The pitcher came in from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a professional pitcher and he said, 'Mr. Redford, I'm on camera, I guess I have to throw it.' I said, 'Yeah. Just give it to me fast and inside.' I put it in the bleachers and I stood there stunned. I was supposed to run. I stood there. I went, God, am I great or what?'"

Redford's true greatness manifests itself in many forms. There's his stellar work on screen, but Redford has also been praised for the things he does off screen. He created the Sundance Film Festival not as a mid-winter retreat for A-listers and the paparazzi that follow them, but as a vehicle to showcase the work of emerging filmmakers.

The Utah-based actor is also an outspoken environmentalist. Redford's combined involvements help keep him focused and motivated.

"It's the idea of trying something," he says emphatically. "There's a great line by TS Eliot that says: 'There's only the trying, the rest is not our business.' I think the success or the achievement or the award or the peak is somehow as good as it feels in the moment. It doesn't quite match the journey towards it. And so you're just trying. You're constantly trying.

"As long as you're aware that change is inevitable, you should keep trying. As changes come you keep trying to adapt to them and move forward. And, you hold true to some fundamental idea of what it is you want to be trying to do. You want to try and put an idea out there that you think might contribute to a sustainable future, whether it's environmental or through art."

One of the things he plans on putting out there soon -- in the name of art -- will not only satisfy his inner-athlete, but also his desire to inspire, educate and enlighten.

Redford revealed to Page 3 that he's working on a film about Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1947 Robinson became the first black player to integrate Major League Baseball. Rickey was the general manager who signed him.

"It's about how Branch Rickey got Robinson in the Major Leagues," Redford explained. "The political story behind it is fabulous ... just fabulous. I've been spending a lot of time with Jackie Robinson's widow because I want to play Branch."

Imagine that. "The Natural" playing "The Innovator."

Redford was clearly excited about getting back in the game. Perhaps he needs another "Natural" moment where he can step up to the plate and send one soaring to the upper decks. That shot, however, had no real significance to anyone other than the man who hit it.

If done right, Redford could hit one out of the park with his re-telling of the Robinson-Branch story.

And he wouldn't even have to swing a bat. Now how cool would that be?

The Natural Responses

1. How good an athlete were you?
My dream was to be on the Boston Red Sox. My only hero in life was Ted Williams. So, therefore in my mind because I was left-handed, I would end up in Fenway Park.

2. Do you and Paul Newman keep in touch?
Yeah, if he can remember my name. Paul's losing his mind, remember? We have nice conversations.

3. Were you disappointed that Helen Mirren didn't get naked in this film like she did in "Calendar Girls?"
Really? I should check out that website. Well, if it had been called for. But I think Helen is terrific.

4. What baseball team do you follow?
Red Sox. I am not a Yankee fan. Too much money, too much. Good players though.

5. Any traits you've picked up from any of the characters you've played?
I'm still a fast draw with a gun.

Miki Turner covers the good life in LA. She can be reached at dmiki@aol.com.