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There are a few things that are synonymous with "Utah," according to Gary Herbert — who, as governor of the state, is in a position to know.

"Today, with the Utah brand, there's some things you know about Utah: Mormons — Utah. Utah Jazz — Utah. Sundance, Robert Redford, Sundance Film Festival," Herbert said Saturday. "They're intertwined in our fabric."

Herbert spoke with The Cricket on Saturday, ahead of a gala tribute the Guv threw for Redford at the Grand America Hotel. (Read The Cricket's account of the event here.)

Before the big show, Herbert said Redford, for all his stardom, is just a regular guy to his Utah neighbors.

"We kind of take him for granted. Oh, yeah, he's the guy who lives up Provo Canyon," Herbert said. "We forget he's an American icon. He's as good as it ever gets as an actor."

Herbert talked about some of Redford's classic movies:

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969): • "One of my favorite movies of all time, and my wife Jeanette's, is 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.' Some of that's probably because it came out when we were dating. It's just a beautiful, fun movie. It shows parts of Utah. Just one of those buddy movies. I always enjoyed the interplay between him and [Paul Newman]."

"The Sting" (1973) • "The reuniting of Redford and Newman. And again, that interplay, which is pretty unique, between the two of them. It was just wonderful casting."

"The Candidate" (1972) • "I liked the movie, I enjoyed it. I know the end scene, where he's in the hotel room and they've pulled off the big upset, they've just won the election. And he sits on his bed and says, 'What do we do now?' … We see that taking place today. We have people who are really good at campaigning, and good at getting elected, but not so good at governing. That's the hard part, to actually make a difference. Now you're elected, you've got the title, are you going to make a change? Are you going to get something done?"