During an interview with CNN on Tuesday night, Robert Redford discussed his upcoming film and compared it to the government shutdown, delivering a harsh criticism of conservative Republicans, CNN reported.

Redford said that President Barack Obama -- who he has been a vocal critic of before -- is a "compassionate man" who was unable to function in the state of such political crisis. The shutdown was so "decrepit" and was "so paralyzed, and the worst of it is it is paralyzed by intention," he said. "There is a body of congressional people that wants to paralyze the system. I think what sits underneath it, unfortunately, is there's probably some racism involved, which is really awful."

He added that Republicans encouraged the shutdown with the intention to "destroy" Obama.

"I think just the idea of giving credit to this President, giving him credit for anything, is abhorrent to them, so they'll go against it. Never mind that it's the better good of the people, never mind that they're supposed to be in office representing the interest of the public. They're representing their own self-interests, which is very narrow and in some cases bigoted," he said.

Redford, 77, expressed his strong opinions regarding America's current political nature while talking about his new film, "All Is Lost," which features the actor as a sailor struggling to live after his boat is destroyed from a crash. As he began breaking down the plot, he suggested it could serve as an analogy to the shutdown.

Despite the "crippling" effect of lawmakers acting so "stupidly" and "miserably," the Redford said he believes there are certain groups of Americans that can push the country back on track -- women and young people.

"Give them the reins," he said. "I think they can do better than we have." 

Although Redford is best known for his acting and directing work, he hasn't been shy about voicing his political views -- specifically regarding the environment and LGBT rights, although he has supported Republicans in the past as well.