Burt Reynolds - Premiere Magazine

LOOK AT YOU—IN YOUR FORTY-SIX YEAR CAREER THERE’VE BEEN SOME UPS AND DOWNS, BUT—
No, buddy, there’s no ups and downs: There’s the Milky Way and then there’s in the sewer running from the rats. (laughs) Like, somebody once asked, “What does the chart of your career look like?” and I said “A heart attack victim.”

YOU SEEM TO HAVE OUTRUN THE RATS, BANDIT.
Actually, I’ve shot them, fried them, and eaten them.

APPARENTLY, BECAUSE YOU’RE NOW STARRING IN TWO ALMOST SUREFIRE MEGA-HITS—FIRST, THE ADAM SANDLER REMAKE OF YOUR 1974 PRISON/FOOTBALL OPUS, THE LONGEST YARD, AND THEN YOU’RE BOSS HOGG IN THE DUKES OF HAZZARD.
It’s been an unbelievable year. But The Longest Yard was the strangest feeling: When anyone would say “Paul Crewe” [Yard's leading character’s name] I’d turn and almost answer. I mean, I know I didn’t create Papillon or somethin’, but Paul Crewe was mine—I was so proud that jocks would say “There’s only one football picture and it’s The Longest Yard. The rest of them are

all candy ass!” But this new one will not disappoint—the hits are very hard.

SIMILARLY, WILL THE JEANS IN THE DUKES MOVIE BE AS CROTCH-GRABBINGLY SNUG AS THEY WERE ON THE TV SHOW? NOT TO MENTION, AS TIGHT AS YOUR JEANS WERE IN FILMS LIKE SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT AND CANNONBALL RUN?
(laughs) Back then if I could get a dime in a pocket I wouldn’t wear ‘em. I’d say “I’m sorry I can get change in here, these won’t do—it’s in my contract.” (laughs) I’m quite embarrassed by some of those jeans now. On the other hand it, uh….it makes a statement. (grins)

WHY NOT? YOU WERE, AFTER ALL, “BURT REYNOLDS!”, THE #1 MONEY-MAKING MOVIE STAR FOR FIVE STRAIGHT YEARS [1977-1981], THE NOTORIOUS COSMO CENTERFOLD STUD, AND, OF COURSE, THE UNDISPUTED GOOD OL’ BOY OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE.
Yeah, Ossie Davis used to say to me, “You know, you’re the only actor in the world that the African-Americans and the Ku Klux Klan loves.” (laughs)

WHEN YOU WERE DOING FILMS LIKE CITIZEN RUTH, STRIPTEASE AND BOOGIE NIGHTS DID YOU GET ANY ANGRY LETTERS FROM YOUR BIBLE BELT FAN BASE?
No, because they couldn’t be dragged to those films. It’s actually more from the sophisticates who love you in Ruth and Starting Over who say “How can you jump backwards?” and do something they feel is beneath you, like, say,,,

SYLVESTER STALLONE’S DRIVEN?
Yeah. (laughs)

HAVE YOU EVER “JUMPED BACKWARDS” AND REVISITED DELIVERANCE’S CHATTOOGA RIVER?
Yes, Ned [Beatty] and I wanted to see if we still had the courage to do it and….well, back then no one went down that river, but now it’s every 45 minutes in rubber rafts with a Deliverance t-shirt and a guide so we said “Let’s take the friggin’ tour.” So the guy on the tour is doing his spiel and says “Right over there is where Jon Voight actually climbed that mountain himself. We call that Voight Mountain now.” So I thought, “Oh, God, we’re gonna get to the place where that scene with Ned getting raped happened,” and I was terrified they’d named it so I said (frantically trying to distract), “Hey, when are we gonna have lunch?!” And the guy says, “We’re gonna have lunch at Sodomy Creek.” (laughs) And here’s the hilarious thing—on some maps of Georgia you can actually find “Sodomy Creek.”

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR SLEEVELESS DELIVERANCE WET SUIT?
Of course, it’s in my museum [in Jupiter, Florida]. And, not to act like I’m studying humility with Robert Evans, but back then when we went to an old Army/Navy store in Atlanta and I put the wetsuit on I did say “Hey, if we cut the sleeves off…” and now they sell them that way. Not that I get any credit for that whatsoever, but, hey, maybe another time. (laughs)

SO, LISTEN, HAVING BEEN A MAJOR HUNK OF THE CINEMA DO YOU EVER GET JEALOUS OF THE NEW BOYS COMING UP?
The only time I get pissed off about that is if somebody is an arrogant putz and doesn’t know it. But if they’re arrogant putzes and they do know it, I kind of like them. (grins) It reminds me of me.