Burt Reynolds has been promoting his latest memoir, But Enough About Me, for a few months now. I came close to covering some of his drama about his neverending love for Sally Field, but I ended up in a ceaseless debate with myself about whether anyone would find it interesting. After reading Burt’s new GQ interview though, I pulled the trigger on covering some of this stuff. His GQ interview is… really good. I mean, the guy is 79 years old and he’s at that stage of life where he really doesn’t care if he’s alienating anyone. Plus, he knew everyone and he has some great stories. You can read the full GQ piece here and here are some highlights:
Why men are a—holes: “It’s God’s fault. We just do what we are programmed to do. But if I knew why, life would be easier. I’m not sure why I was an asshole. I just hope I can fix some of it.”
The definition of an a—hole: “Someone who can’t think about anything or anyone but themselves. You see it most, of course, in Hollywood. People who can’t talk about anything but their next picture. Or their women. Or their conquests of women. Hollywood, of course, has a preponderance of a–holes. More famous people than not are a–holes.
On crazy women: “Well, crazies are the sexiest. They also have an ability to be really smart. They come after you and give you a “sh-t or get off the pot” ultimatum. And of course you don’t want to lose them because they are so full of life. Or so it seems. At some point, you hear the voice telling you to run… And you are, at that point, not in love with logic. You are in love with beauty. You are blinded. We forget the ocean is beautiful and deep and vast. But it can change on you in a flash and drown you. I mean, I knew that I was making a mistake [with Loni Anderson] the day I walked down the aisle at the church. I’ll never forget: I looked at my mother in the pew, and she was just shaking her head.”
His love of toupees: “You know, if I had it to do over again, I would do it natural. Not wear a toupee. But I ended up seeing this guy William Shatner sent me to. Edward Katz. He’s a genius at what he does. Best guy in the business. Because his pieces are so hard to spot. And he listens. He gets it. And he tells you what’s best. Most guys with toupees overcompensate. They want too much hair. They end up piling it high, looking like a weird flower. But if someone offered me a movie now—and I’m still waiting for one—I’d go back to my natural look. With whatever I have left up there.”
He’d love to work with Peter Bogdanovich & Angelina Jolie: “Peter Bogdanovich. But the trouble with Peter is he’s brilliant with someone else’s writing. Not his own writing. I’m not sure what he’s up to now. And I’d like to work with Clint again. And Angelina Jolie. I think she’s a great director. She has what her father has. Talent. And charisma. She always has. I remember even when she was ten she was already provocative. I said to Jon one day, “You have big problems.” He asked what I was talking about. I said, “She’s going to be unbelievably beautiful when she grows up and men are going to fall hard for her.” He just laughed. She was stunning even as a girl.”
What he thinks of his ‘Boogie Night’ director Paul Thomas Anderson: “Personality-wise, we didn’t fit. I think mostly because he was young and full of himself. Every shot we did, it was like the first time [that shot had ever been done]. I remember the first shot we did in Boogie Nights, where I drive the car to Grauman’s Theater. After he said, “Isn’t that amazing?” And I named five pictures that had the same kind of shot. It wasn’t original. But if you have to steal, steal from the best.
I’m not a big believer in anyone just throwing up their hands and saying, “Meh, I was programmed to be an a—hole.” No. Human beings are not computers. We are all capable of change, and just because you admit that you’re an a—hole, you should still try to change and “reprogram” yourself. Unless being an a—hole works for you, which it might for Burt.
He mentions in the piece that he and Jon Voight have been friends for decades, which actually surprised me a little bit. I just didn’t know they were still close. But it makes sense that Burt would have met Angelina when she was a little girl. I’m slightly disturbed that he refers to a 10-year-old as “provocative” though. I mean… really?
Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet and WENN.
He made me laugh with his wedding story of doom. When my grandfather married for the third time, his newly-minted mother in law (who was younger than him) started stripping to “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. Says it all, really. His bride ran away six weeks later with the wedding pianist. She was still better than n°4.
I hope your grandfather is writing his memoirs…!
Seriously, that’s a book I would read! Lehhgo!
Haha, now you got me curious. What happened with n°4??
Sadly enough he is now gone. He wanted to write a memoir of his parents (his mother was Maria Callas’ best friend, and super tight with Coco Chanel), which would have been fun to read, but he never worked in his life and lacked any work ethic.
N°4 was a coke addict who lost custody of her kids. My grandfather always fell for vulnerable, damaged ladies who were half his age…and he often married them. Very old school. I was fond of him, and didn’t mind the wives.
Sorry to hear that.
What a story. We need more.
And I was cracking up at Burt’s “I’ll never forget: I looked at my mother in the pew, and she was just shaking her head.”
Wrong place to reply, sorry!
Bless his heart….
I wonder how his and Loni’s son together feels when he calls his marriage to her a mistake. Maybe the son has already accepted it years ago. My god, they were a huge celebrity couple back in the day. Loni with her huge hair!
You can definitely be aware of the fact that your parents were a total disaster together. And this kid’s parents are But Reynolds and Long Anderson. There’s no way he doesn’t have a clue of that.
I think their son made out okay because both Burt and Loni were/are totally devoted to him. They’ve always adored him. I think Burt would like to see more of his son but they don’t live close to each other. Also, Quinton lives across the street from Loni, so you can see how close they still are.
I saw Loni at a restaurant once and she’s very beautiful in person. Much more so than she looks in TV or in photos.
Provocative isn’t only a sexual thing.
Exactly. If you see a child who clearly is going to be an entrancing beauty as she gets older, what do you call that?
It’s not uncommon to tell someone they’re going to have problems when a daughter (or a son) get older, because you can tell they are going to have lots of interest from their peers once they hit the teenage years. I’m not sure what one word describes that.
It’s the same thing as “She’s gonna be a real heartbreaker,” right? For all we know, that’s actually what he told his friend, or something to that effect.
Where I live (deep South), it’s always “Get a shotgun.” “That girl’s getting too big and pretty; you better get a shotgun.” “Oh, you’re going to need a shotgun in a few years.” I remember those comments really freaked me out when I was a kid.
I think what Burt said might have been innocent, if phrased badly. It sounds like Humbert Humbert, but I can give him the benefit of the doubt. If Woody Allen had said it, it would be different, but to my knowledge, Burt hasn’t shown any sign of being attracted to someone prohibitively young.
Yeah, I don’t see this comment as weird, just honest. Now James Woods on the other hand, who actually ended up dating his buddy’s daughter whom he’d known as a baby, now that’s some next level creeper sh!t.
Yeah I had that experience with a friends younger brother. By the time he was 9 or 10 it was obvious he was going to be very good looking and he had oodles of charm. He was clearly going to be a heartbreaker (and he is/was). We were about a decade older and we definitely observed from afar his romantic ups and downs as he grew up. There was nothing inappropriate or creepy about it.
I agree the word “provocative” can be contentious. I use it when I mean a person or subject “provokes thought or conversation”. When I use the word it still seems creepy because it’s typically used to indicate a sexual come-on, of sorts. I think the Angelina Jolie “stare” is provocative, and I’m only hoping Mr Reynolds meant it this way. I agree she has a “challenging look” and not just because she’s beautiful, it’s a pair of eyes that seem to “say” something, not just “come hither” or whatever. I personally wouldn’t advise that particular adjective to describe a child as there is a margin whereby it is heard as inappropriate.
Maybe she was “provocative”. I’m sure she grew up around a faster lifestyle than most of us.
I agree; provocative means “to provoke”, and there are plenty of kids who have a habit of testing the limits. Angelina Jolie was a wild young woman. I expect she DID have a big personality even as a child.
When I was a kid I had old men telling me (and my parents) that I would grow up to be “beautiful” and a “heartbreaker”. Made me feel creepy then, makes me feel creepy now. My parents never left me alone with these people, but it was also never discussed… Saying things like that about a child is just wrong. And gross.
I think you have gut instincts that told you it was creepy, and those should always be respected. But last night, I saw a little girl in a restaurant and she was about 8 – she was so beautiful. I commented on it to my husband, and he agreed. I promise there wasn’t anything sexual or creepy going on. However, I would never have said anything to or in front of the child, because I don’t want to reinforce the idea that looks are everything to little girls. So, I think your instincts were valid since they shouldn’t have talked about it front of you, but I think someone can observe that a child is beautiful without it being sexual.
I work with kids and find myself thinking this or that child is/will be beautiful…I think it’s natural. But I would never express that to them or their parents, like GNAT mentioned. For the most part I think people are just trying to be nice, but again, as GNAT said, I don’t want to reinforce those stereotypes.
Mimif, you’re so damn funny! I had a dream about “you” the other night. I walked into a dimly lit room and “you” were sitting in a bean bag chair smoking a joint. I said “hey mimif, can I join you?” And you just turned your head and ignored me. That was it. God I spend too much time on this site.
Bahahaha! That just legit made me lol in the dark. I love bean bag chairs and I am kind of aloof in person btw….
You did turn out really pretty tho, Bengal.
They must have been creepy in the way they said it, and it was probably out of line to say it to your face.
Adults make these kinds of remarks to each other, but probably best not in front of the kids to make any kind of judgment about their looks, good bad or indifferent.
I try to stick to “he/she looks great/healthy/happy.” “Growing up fast!” works during the latter years of childhood.
@BengalCat2000
I wonder if it’s a cultural thing in some ways? My parents weren’t like that but a lot of my extended family, usually the older men and women, use to occasionally refer to kids like “they’re going to be a heartbreaker or Casanova.” That same side of my family comes from an extremely touchy feely culture where it’s not uncommon for people to pat each other on the bum or give a quick, chaste kiss on the lips as a greeting, and when I go back to visit my American raised self finds it strange but I know there’s no sexual connotation to it. Even if he’s from an American family that’s been here for a while, maybe he was just raised around people who spoke like that.
Good question. I live/grew up in the South. I was never a girlie girl but it does seem that a lot of emphasis is put on feminine beauty. But I can only attest to my situation. We are such visual creatures that I think it’s natural to have those thoughts, but as a kid I found it odd and confusing .
I always say my son and his friends will compete to be the homecoming king, and I guess that’s stupid. He goes to a hippy private school, and thaz not going to happen. I’m going to stop with the “future heartbreaker” thing. Outdated, right?
The problem is when the kid hears that and grow up to be average/homely. That’s just my case, lol.
Showing my age, but oh, he was sexy back in his day. Not my type, but still… I wish him well. It’s better to discover you’re an a-hole at his age and try to change than never find out, I suppose.
Remember Burt posing nekkid on the bear rug? I’d post it here but since I’ve been under moderation forEVER about lord knows what, I better not risk it.
omg that pulled a memory from the dark recesses of my brain! And ruined any hope of a comeback for Burt. And made me think of George Costanza posing as well.
As a kid I used to confuse Burt with Tom Selleck.
Birdix – they both had moustaches – easily confused.
Really hairy
Hairy down therey.
I’m fighting images of George Constanza naked on a bear rug. THANKS Birdix.
Omg, you guys are making me laugh. I forgot the hairy Burt on the hairy rug. Thanks for reminding me. Sort of.
Btw, I have been under moderation forever, too. Sizer said not to take it personally, it’s just because we post a lot. It used to hurt my feelings because I would think, “but I’m always so nice! Ok, I’m usually so, ok lots of times I’m so nice?”
We all know you’re rude, GNAT. 😉
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedenizen.co.nz%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F08%2Fburt_reynolds.jpg&f=1
Burt was really good looking around his Smokey and the Bandit days. He was a beefcake, like Tom Selleck. I like ’em hairy, what can I say? 🙂
I caught Burt’s first feature film the other day – Navajo Joe – and he looked so much different. Perhaps it was the absence of the moustache (as duly noted). Apparently, he used to be a stunt man before turning to acting.
@GNAT & mimif — Why in the world would either one of you be under moderation? You gals are a cornerstone of this site.
@Joaneu – I can’t seem to get specific words to post, but let’s say I’m with them. Even more confusing now than ever.
I’m always under moderation, too!!! Well, it’s good to know that, at least, I’m in an awesome group of posters!!!! I felt bad, too….but, if you guys are being moderated I will wear it as a badge of honor!!!!!
Sooooo hairy.
Gah. I hate the men can’t help it BS, but the crazy women comment made me laugh. I’ve asked men that question for years, I.e. If your exes are so “crazy,” why keep pursuing women you consider crazy? The response is always something about the sex.
In another interview, he basically admits he was entranced by her looks. But keeping up appearances was quite costly.
In addition to seeing his mother shaking her head, one of his groomsmen told him before the ceremony that his mother couldn’t stand Loni. I guess that wasn’t a deal-breaker when you consider son’s mothers and their new wives don’t always gel.
This cracks me up, because anyone could have seen the writing on that wall. But it wasn’t like Burr was some saint either.
On another note, Loni’s beauty was very much of a specific time period. I wonder if she’d have been as beautiful nowadays, because there was just something so 80s about her.
Bridget-
I remember Loni being held up as the “ideal” woman back then. As the saying went, she had curves in places other women didn’t have places. Now they’d just call her fat.
I actually think her figure is pretty timeless. Cause boobs never go out of style
When I was in an pre-teen autograph collecting phase, Loni earned top spot in my album for quickly sending a nice letter (a form letter, but rather detailed about her background, early marriage, etc.) and a signed 8 by 10. So, I do have a soft spot for her, though I think theirs was a disaster waiting to happen.
Her hair was a thing of mystery to me, because it looked like it would take hurricane force winds to move a single strand out of place.
I just went down a Lonk (typo but it’s stays) Anderson hairdo wormhole and it was fantastic.
@mimif my phone autocorrected “Burt” on every single post!
I know, I was laughing and wanted to make a joke every single time. Of course, But was my favorite. 😛
Seemed appropriate. My phone is pretty sassy, too. For a while it used to autocorrect “Duchess” into “Douches”
@mimif – am I the only one who sees similar styling between some of her early pouf styles and Trump’s cotton candy topper?
Sometimes you can look at a child and see he/she will be stunning when they are older.idk how to explain it. Example, I was wondering how this guy at work was old enough to have a daughter who is 23. The receptionist told me, no she’s 15. She is tall and has a woman’s figure already. And no offense, but she has a very sexual, unintended mind you, aura and I can just see that boys, men are really going to bug her, ya know what I mean? And that sucks when you’re a kid, you don’t know how to handle that. But I think thats what Burt meant.
My older daughter, now 17, always attracted older men because she looked years older. She was my height when she was in 3rd grade. At 13 people would ask for her help in stores thinking she worked there. She has a very curvy body. Grown Men ask her on dates all the time, I even had to tell some 30 something guy that she was only 14. Thank god she only dates boys in her group. It’s been a test.
But my now 14 yr old is the one all the teachers would comment on. She definitely looks her age, she’s slim, not curvy or overtly sensual like my older daughter, but her face, her face is so gorgeous. I remember her second grade teacher approaching me at a school picnic saying she’ll break hearts. Her doctor, her friends parents, people on the street always remark on her beauty. Women always comment on her beauty, men seldom do. She’s has friends who are boys, but never dated. But I see them stare at her.
Sounds like you’ve got some beautiful kids.
At least he does admit he made mistakes. And hopefully he can rectify some of them with people, which is why I think he name drops Sally. He probably realizes it could have ended differently or on a better note.
Sally had a very classy response when asked about his latest comments. She basically said that whatever comments she has should be directed to him (Burt).
My Dad knew one of Burt’s old college buddies through his work. The friend and Burt never lost contact through the years. Dad’s big question was, why do you think he and Sally didn’t work out? The friend said that having a child was a big deal to Burt, and Sally (at the time) apparently wasn’t keen on having another child. Interestingly, she went on to have another son.
Burt Reynolds can take several seats.
Yeah, not too crazy about Burt’s use of ‘provocative’, but then again, if he used words like intriguing, enigmatic or mysterious, red flags would go off, since those words aren’t usually associated with children, especially girls unless the speaker has an agenda (read: grooming).
But then again, it’s fairly tame, considering what Mick Jagger said to John Phillips about Mackenzie. Of course, we found out about what John eventually did to Mackenzie himself, but what is with the lack of Jon’s outrage (read: anger) when an adult male made a questionable observation about his 10 year old daughter?
I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt and assume he just meant heartbreaker. We often misspeak, especially older people.
This 100000 times over. If every word. Ever candidly said was this analyzed…id be in PC jail with a lifetime sentence. And rarely any malice or motive to match the crime.
well i’m glad he goes to a toupee expert who makes his toupees soo hard to spot.
and shatner says thanks for spotting him out for everyone!
that’s the part that made me laugh – he totally threw the Shat under the bus!
Nah, I get what he meant about Angelina even if it’s cringey. I’ve heard other people say that a kid is going to be a heartbreaker and that sort of thing. It was just a poor choice of words and you also have to factor in that Burt’s getting up there in age.
He’s an interesting guy. I don’t condone everything he’s done, but he’s a throwback to when Hollywood allowed actors to be a little more free in the vein of Jack Nicholson. Now they are so paranoid about the internet taking their words out of context , their personal life being dragged through the tabloids and internet for an extended period of time like Ben Affleck, or a minor thing being blown out of proportion that most actors have become rather sanitized. The US Weekly Just Like Them in the late 90s really changed the face of gossip media. I wonder if Liz Taylor, with her eight marriages, affairs, pills, and other issues, even have a career today or would she be so over-exposed with the internet that it would destroy her?
I wish he would stop slamming Loni Anderson. I get that their divorce was long and drawn out but he’s been amass to her for decades now. He put her through the emotional ringer when they were married.
Exactly….he was terribly addicted to painkillers, and Loni stood by him, and then he dumped her for another woman, out of the blue! Burt Reynolds was and probably still is, an asshole of the highest degree…and wtf is his problem with PTA…He was lucky at that point in his “free falling” career to even get such a movie role!
Burt Reynolds is a legendary jerk. I think it’s funny he shades Anderson considering that Reynolds would have had that Oscar in the bag if he wasn’t such a jerk (and you could see how pissed he was to lose).
I for one would have much rather seen the Burt-Sally post in place of yet another Kardashian post or Miley or Selena etc.
+1 million hairy men to your last sentence.
wtf? selena’s hardly ever on here
Yeah you totally missed the point.
I never understood the Burt/Sally thing even back in the day. They just seem like total opposites. But then again, I never understood the Burt/Dinah thing. However, he did have a penchant for bottle blondes, Mamie van Doren and then married Loni, so there you go. It was about his image and always was.
I can’t help still shipping Burt and Sally, although on paper they didn’t make sense. And just for the record, I love, love, love vintage gossip! Those posts may not get as many comments as something with a Kardashian on it, but I assure you there’s an audience!
There’s a Burt & Sally outtake on one of these comedies I was watching on dvd. Ugh the name escapes me but I caught it during the credits. Totally random because the movie wasn’t even about them but you can feel the attraction between them. It was all very cute. Yeah people don’t get it but when I was growing up, they were the “it” couple.
He is right about his toupee dr because I thought the rug was his real hair. It looks natural with the receding hairline
“he’s at that stage of life where he really doesn’t care if he’s alienating anyone.”
Yes. Caring too much will make you neurotic. People seem to be terrified of being criticized these days. Where are the rebels? Whatever happened to FTW being a source of pride?
I read the memoir and really enjoyed it. I am far too young (never get to say that anymore!) to have enjoyed Burt in his heyday, but I enjoyed the last gasps of old Hollywood and the seeming buddy-buddy pics… It was neat to read with whom he really was friendly.
Uh… sorry, Bill Shatner!