The roles Burt Reynolds turned down made him feel like an idiot

Understandably, he was happy to keep doing what he was doing. After all, his name was enough to generate buzz, his distinctly American brand of mustachioed machismo had propelled him to the top of the A-list, and he even received a few Golden Globe nominations in the Best Actor – Musical category. . Category “Comedy” to underline that he was not entirely lacking in acting ability.

However, all good things must come to an end, and the early 1980s marked a period of irreversible decline. Reynolds gradually began to slide down the pecking order and didn’t even come close to returning to former glory. From this point on, the highlight of his career was undoubtedly his Oscar-nominated role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film Boogie nightseven if he despised the director.

However, things could have turned out very differently if Reynolds had accepted one of the roles he regretted turning down. The first would have made his star shine even brighter and guaranteed him millions of dollars in earnings for decades to come, while the other would have resulted in him walking on stage and accepting an Oscar.

“Here my IQ drops by about 40 points,” he admitted via Desert sun. “star Wars. That was it.” Reynolds was considered for Han Solo, and after deciding he didn’t want to head off to a galaxy far, far away, Harrison Ford got the role and transformed the character – and himself – into a cultural one Icon.

“But the biggest thing I turned down, and I think I could have found it mind-blowing, was Conditions of tenderness” he said. “I felt like it was very close to my life at the time. But I understood the character, and that’s very important. The actors come and act like they know what they’re doing, but they don’t even know who they’re playing or why they’re playing the guy.”

James L. Brooks offered Reynolds Garrett Breedlove, who rejected him in favor of Stroker Acewhich was a huge success and earned five Razzie nominations, including “Worst Picture.” In the meantime, Conditions of tenderness After failing to get first choice for the character, he hired Jack Nicholson and ended up winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

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