# Why did Burt Reynolds' career founder after Boogie Nights? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 10, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011 "2011-06-10T18:44:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/21 "2011-06-11T18:42:14Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > I think “Boogie Nights” was the outlier, and appeared as a false positive indicator of Reynolds’ career resurgence. This is my take on the issue. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/22 "2011-06-11T18:57:17Z")
His day is done, that’s all. He was never much of an actor, he’s certainly lost his looks, and he has a lot of issues even today. If he was smart, he would take an occasional small role in something big, and everyone would go, “oooh, look, isn’t that Burt Reynolds?”. Maybe he doesn’t need the money that that would bring in. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/23 "2011-06-11T19:19:46Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > His day is done, that’s all. He was never much of an actor, he’s certainly lost his looks, and he has a lot of issues even today. If he was smart, he would take an occasional small role in something big, and everyone would go, “oooh, look, isn’t that Burt Reynolds?”. Maybe he doesn’t need the money that that would bring in. I think he was trying to “appear” in that Uwe Boll movie…which he probably also did for the money. Doesn’t Uwe Boll pay pretty good? I mean, he’s even gotten Ben Kingsley to appear. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/24 "2011-06-11T21:00:24Z")
Beef cake action hero/comedic male actors … who did keep on as hot properties once their looks and bodies faded? Those who have (and some have) have much better acting chops/depth/range and judgement than Reynolds has. A boyish wink won’t sustain an aging beefcake’s career. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/25 "2011-06-11T21:35:44Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I really don’t think Burt lies awake at night worrying about the quality of the work he’s done. I’ve always had the feeling that he’s happy as long as he’s getting tail, and I’m sure he’s still getting plenty of tail. Oh, I don’t know. I remember seeing him on Carson bitching about the lack of good roles offered him. In one vitriolic exchange he declared that he could easily do any of the roles Redford did but that Redford wasn’t (comically) talented enough to do what he (Burt) did. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/26 "2011-06-11T22:17:52Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > His day is done, that’s all. He was never much of an actor, he’s certainly lost his looks, and he has a lot of issues even today. If he was smart, he would take an occasional small role in something big, and everyone would go, “oooh, look, isn’t that Burt Reynolds?”. Maybe he doesn’t need the money that that would bring in. Well, actually he does need the money, or at least did in the early '90s when he was going bankrupt. By the time he did “Boogie Nights” he was well into the “don’t give a damn, so long as the check clears” phase of his career. And unfortunately he doesn’t appear to have abandoned that philosophy even after “Boogie Nights” brought him some new found respect and clout. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/27 "2011-06-11T23:32:47Z")
I seem to remember hearing that, not long after “Boogie Nights” came out, Burt pretty much sabotaged his chances of winning the Oscar along with a lot of industry goodwill by trash talking the movie and the people involved. I honestly can’t remember where I heard this so it might just be hearsay but, if true, it would certainly explain his post-BN career not to mention the above assertions about his lousy taste in projects. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/28 "2011-06-11T23:39:05Z")
I just can’t see him in a serious drama, ever, because there’s always that “I’m just kidding around” smirk just below the surface. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/29 "2011-06-11T23:42:21Z")
And there is [this](http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/431050/10_actors_who_turned_against_their_own_films.html): > [@](#): > > … when Burt Reynolds saw a rough cut of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, he was apparently very unhappy with the end result. He thus sacked his agent, and turned down a role in Anderson’s next film, Magnolia. Out came the story, and Reynolds then picked up a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in the film. > > His new agent, presumably, then lined him up with roles in the likes of Universal Solider II, Driven and Hard Time: The Premonition. Oh dear. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/30 "2011-06-12T00:01:55Z")
I seem to recall reading that in the course of one year, Reynolds went from a five year run as the number one star in Hollywood to number thirty four. Supposedly this has never happened before or since. It’s like his audience turned against him on a dime. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/31 "2011-06-12T01:38:54Z")
This has come up before; I found the AIDS rumor intriguing: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=419919&highlight=aids](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=419919&highlight=aids) ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/32 "2011-06-12T01:59:09Z")
From the Cracked article linked by **joebuck20** > [@](#): > > It didn’t help that Reynolds and director Paul Thomas Anderson didn’t get along, leading Reynolds to refuse to appear in Anderson’s next picture, Magnolia. Anyone know what role he was offered in Magnolia? Jimmy Gator, maybe? Would have been an absolute shame had we been denied Philip Baker Hall’s performance. Solomon Solomon, maybe? Alfred Molina was awesome as that character. Can’t imagine he’d have been considered for Earl Partridge, that role needed an older actor. Thurston Howell? The Partridges’ lawyer? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/33 "2011-06-12T02:55:15Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > This has come up before; I found the AIDS rumor intriguing But people were saying Reynolds had AIDS back in the early eighties. (I remember hearing it when Reynolds was making _City Heat_ in 1984.) I don’t think there are too many people who had AIDS in 1983 who are still around in 2011. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/34 "2011-06-12T03:20:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But people were saying Reynolds had AIDS back in the early eighties. (I remember hearing it when Reynolds was making _City Heat_ in 1984.) I don’t think there are too many people who had AIDS in 1983 who are still around in 2011. No, I meant the idea that his career pretty much imploded back when **NDP** and **Starving Artist** and **Alessan** were saying, right around when the AIDS rumor would’ve hit – and that, while he _ **didn’t** _ in fact have AIDS, he suddenly found himself unable to get ideal work just when a guy coming up on fifty would’ve needed to be at the top of his game to deftly transition a good ol’ boy persona away from the _winkin’-an’-drinkin’ lover of fast cars and cute gals_ schtick. Instead, he does so much crap for so long that it’s _ **unsurprising** _ his role in Boogie Nights fails to resurrect his career; he’s gonna need a bigger boat. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/35 "2011-06-12T07:34:02Z")
I recall Burt got lucky with the tv hit _Evening Shade_. But, he couldn’t leave well enough alone. After the first season. Burt took over as producer. Made a bunch of changes and the show flopped the second season. Then the Loni Anderson divorce and allegations of abuse. Then there was the Tonight show incident. Some comic cracked a joke about Burt. Burt responded by tossing a glass of water in the guys face, on camera. Proving he really is a first class jerk. At least for me, any interest in seeing Burt in any role ended. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/36 "2011-06-12T14:44:19Z")
It’s weird to remember back in the late seventies, when Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood were seen as peers - and Eastwood was often seen as the poor man’s Reynolds. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/37 "2011-06-12T16:41:24Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > I don’t have a lot of confidence that the Hollywood movers and shakers give a damn about a guy smacking around his girlfriend privately. They do, however, care a lot about someone being unreliable/inconsistent/crazy due to alcohol or drug use. When it is private, probably not. When it becomes public, then no one wants to be first to be ‘the director who hired the wifebeater’ or producer of ‘the movie starring the wifebeater’. Espcially when the victems of the abuse are considered to be fairly beloved by the fanbase who would be attracted to the movie by its appearance. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/38 "2011-06-12T17:03:23Z")
One of the things that has stuck in my memory about Burt has to do with Brando’s dislike for the guy. Among the quotes at [Biography for Marlon Brando](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000008/bio) Trivia > [@](#): > > He balked at the prospect of Burt Reynolds in the role of Santino Corleone in The Godfather (1972). > [@](#): > > [on Burt Reynolds] I disagree with the thought process of people like him, who is a totally narcissistic person who epitomizes everything wrong with being a celebrity in Hollywood. To be fair, though: > [@](#): > > His decision to play the title role in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) turned out to be an offer that he definitely should have refused. He received the Worst Supporting Actor Razzie Award, beating Burt Reynolds, who was nominated for Striptease (1996), by a single vote. The vote was cast by Razzie award founder John Wilson, who always chooses to vote last. And if IMDb isn’t clear enough, check out [Marlon Brando rips Burt Reynolds (from Apocalypse Now set)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5ubnNoOwdY) ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/39 "2011-06-12T17:15:54Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > When it becomes public, then no one wants to be first to be ‘the director who hired the wifebeater’ or producer of ‘the movie starring the wifebeater’. Espcially when the victems of the abuse are considered to be fairly beloved by the fanbase who would be attracted to the movie by its appearance. It seems to me that a man who beats up his wife or girlfriend (especially when he does it with multiple women) is the most loathed, despised, positively radioactive class of scumbag in the entire world (Hollywood, even moreso) these days, worse than avowed racists, hardcore IV junkies, or even those who might actually question Global Warming… Mel Gibson may? have been eventually able to ride out the “Jews and niggers, niggers and Jews” horseshit that he apparently likes to spew, but those pictures of his Russian girlfriends’ bloodied lips will be superimposed in glorious Technicolor on his tombstone for all eternity. ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011/40 "2011-06-13T02:53:44Z")
He’s shown up on a couple sword-n-dragon movies on the Scyfy channel lately. Sort of a jolt when you realize the grizzled war lord is The Bandit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-burt-reynolds-career-founder-after-boogie-nights/585011.md?page=3)