Robert Redford had to ‘protect himself’ with Barbra Streisand

Robert Redford needed some extra protection when he filmed his love scenes with Barbra Streisand in the drama “The Way We Were.”

The “Ordinary People” director, 86, reportedly forced himself to wear two pairs of underwear to “protect himself” from the singer, 80, according to a new book.

Robert Hofler’s recently released book, “The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen,” chronicles the making of the 1973 romance flick.

Streisand was reportedly “infatuated” with Redford, who had to sport “two athletic supporters” before filming, the author wrote in the book, according to excerpts published in the Daily Mail.

Hofler wrote that she wore a bikini for their intimate scenes because the “Barefoot in the Park” actor wanted to make sure the shots were “pretty-G rated.”

During one of their sex scenes, Redford also refused to say the line, “It will be better this time,” because he worried that viewers would think he wasn’t good in the bedroom in the real world.

“Redford was never bad in bed,” and so his character could never be either, Hofler wrote.

The author also said Redford was reluctant to work with the “Funny Girl” star, as he felt she wasn’t a “serious actress.”

“Her reputation is as a very controlling person. She will direct herself. It’ll never work,” Record reportedly said at the time.

He also didn’t want her to sing any tunes in the film, reportedly noting: “She’s not going to sing, is she? I don’t want her to sing in the middle of the movie.”

Streisand wound up crooning the film’s iconic theme song, “The Way We Were.”

The book also reported that the film’s director Sydney Pollack — who died in 2008 — had previously uttered: “Barbra had never worked with a really strong leading man.”

“She has a tendency to take over a picture, just by the size of her talent and larger-than-life presence. It’s hard for a co-star to stay in the same ring with her,” the “Three Days of the Condor” filmmaker said, according to Hofler’s book.

Pollack had only believed that Redford could deal with the Oscar winner. “In acting, you have to sense that there’s a reserve somewhere, that you’re seeing the top of the iceberg.”