“I just wanted to hit him”: What is Burt Reynolds’ issue with Paul Thomas Anderson?
For most actors, finally getting recognition at the Oscars is the crowning pinnacle of their careers. An Academy Award is one of the most coveted prizes in Hollywood, but not every actor to be nominated for one has been particularly impressed with the film, most notably the inimitable Burt Reynolds.
Reynolds had given countless remarkable performances throughout his career, including those in Deliverance, The Longest Yard and Starting Over, but he was only nominated for an Academy Award on one solitary occasion. One might think that Reynolds would have been overjoyed to get the nod for his effort in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, but he had some serious issues with the film.
Boogie Nights arrived in 1997 as Anderson’s second feature-length film. It tells of a young nightclub glasswasher (played by Mark Wahlberg) who becomes a famous porn film actor during the 1970s and 1980s. Reynolds played a porn film producer, Jack Horner, and was given the nod for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ at the Oscars.
During an interview with GQ, Reynolds admitted that he had some issues with Anderson, stating, “Personality-wise, we didn’t fit”. There also seemed to be a problem with the age difference between the actor and the director with Reynolds writing his memoir But Enough About Me, “I wasn’t crazy about being (directed) by a guy who’s younger than some sandwiches I’ve had.”
In the GQ interview, Reynolds continued, “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 that same kind of shot”.
There seems to be a sense in Reynolds of being annoyed by a young director coming on the scene and feeling like he could dictate the history of cinema to an actor some 35 years his senior. However, that could also be said to be a point of bitterness and pride in Reynolds, feeling that he was somewhat being overshadowed by Anderson’s talent.
In the end, Reynolds sacked his agent for recommending the film to him. When discussing the project with Conan O’Brien, Reynolds admitted that he had violent thoughts towards Anderson and that he hadn’t even bothered to watch the final product. “I didn’t want to hit him in the face,” he stated, “I just wanted to hit him; I don’t think he liked me.”
Regardless of his feelings on the film and his experience on set, Reynold was nominated for an Academy Award for his effort. He lost out to Robin Williams, who won for his performance in Gus Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting, though he did scoop a Golden Globe. However, not even such critical admiration could save Boogie Nights from the actor’s scorn.
