By 1967, Newman, between he and Woodward, has emerged as the superstar sex symbol only rivaled by
Steve McQueen, Newman reaching legendary status with his then career defining role in
Cool Hand Luke (1967) despite it being in many respects an ensemble piece. Newman arguably used the strained feelings he had for his controlling mother, that control which only worsened after his father's death, in his acting for difficult scenes. He would redefine his career two years later to something more closely resembling himself as a person, and make a lifelong friend in
Robert Redford, in filming
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Newman and Woodward's professional lives are by this time the opposite of the late 1950s in that Woodward, who has slipped somewhat into movie obscurity in focusing on a home life, is reliant on Newman for movie work. It would be one of their collaborations, his first as director and her return to the screen, that would result in what is arguably the most acclaimed piece of work for their collective movie lives in the 1960s, namely her title role in
Rachel, Rachel (1968). Despite the movie not getting made without Newman's involvement, Woodward, more holistically, is regardless still a more independent person than him.
—Huggo