BURT REYNOLDS
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, THE DIRECTOR SPENT A DAY WITH HIS IDOL. HERE’S WHAT WENT DOWN
Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino shares on-set stories of working with his idol on what would be Burt’s final role.
Shortly before his death at 82 last September, Burt Reynolds was cast as George Spahn, the blind rancher who allowed the Manson family to stay on his property, in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood. Sadly, Burt died before filming began, and the role went to Bruce Dern. But Quentin still got to spend quality time with his childhood idol, and he relished every minute of it.
“One of the things that was most fun for me on this movie was getting to know Burt,” Quentin enthuses. “I grew up watching Burt all the time. To get to know him at the end of his life, for just a brief amount of time, and spend significant time with him, both in person and on phone conversations that went on for a long time, was incredibly gratifying.”
THE LAST MOVIE STAR
Quentin isn’t just a fan of Burt’s movies, some of which influenced his own. He was a fan of Burt’s legendarily charming and uncensored talk-show appearances. “I’d grown up listening to Burt Reynolds tell Burt Reynolds stories on Dinah Shore, Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson and Mike Douglas.” When they finally met, “Burt Reynolds would tell me a Burt Reynolds story, and I’d tell him a Burt Reynolds story,” Quentin marvels.
But the best part was actually working with Burt. “He came down to the script reading, and that was a thrill,” Quentin says.
“Did Burt get to play the role on film? No, he didn’t.
But it was the last role he ever played. He rehearsed.”
It seems apt the wisecracking
Burt, who was often unfavorably compared by critics to Marlon Brando (whom he resembled) early in his career, left Quentin with a wickedly funny quip. As the cast, including Brad Pitt, went around the table introducing themselves, Burt deadpanned, “I’m Burt Reynolds. I’m playing the role of Marlon Brando.” The room roared. And that’s no pulp fiction. — Bruce Fretts