I just watched the film with the actors' commentary last night, and there were plenty of veiled references to the fact that Burt Reynolds was a real jerk on the set and didn't get along with Paul Thomas Anderson.
Does anyone know of any stories of what actually happened? It would be kind of cool if the two of them got into a big shouting and shoving match outside by the pool while Burt was wearing a Speedo and a headband.
All I know is after the movie came out, Reynolds HATED it and ended up punching poor PTA in the face, damn near breaking his nose. I don't really understand why he did that; his performance is one of the best things about the film. Even it is about porno, he's ****ing Burt Reynolds, the king of cheese and sleaze.
My week beats your year.
i always wondered why he agreed to be in this.
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he left u NAKED in a DITCH!
It's one of the best movies he's ever been in. It got him an Oscar nom. He probably thought he'd get backlash, but he spoke too soon and the critics loved it.
shareBecause he'd just divorced Loni Anderson and owed a lot of money, so he vowed to pay back every dime and as a result he starred in numerous films he would've otherwise turned down.
sharewow is that true about him punching the director. burt was great in this.. his kinda last role. haven't seen him in anything since. and why didn't the director sue him for assault if he really hit him??
share"Why didn`t the director sue him for assault if he really hit him".
What`s the point of wasting valuable time and energy over such a small matter? It`s not like Reynolds shot at him or burned his house down for crying out loud. Besides, he had a movie to make and Reynolds happened to be a vital part of that enterprise.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
Considering this was only PTA's second feature movie and his first real Hollywood blockbuster of sorts, I'm guessing he didn't want to make a big deal out of it. It could have given him a bad reputation and burned bridges in Hollywood if he tried to sue a star such as Burt regardless if he was right in doing so.
shareBecause he's not a vagina.
Who's scruffy looking?
he needs to lay his old ass down somewhere.
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i got that Justin Bieber please believe it
...Burt Reynolds was a real jerk on the set and didn't get along with Paul Thomas Anderson.
I don't know if I believe the story about him punching Anderson, but he did HATE the movie and his bad-mouthing of it probably torpedoed his own chances of winning an Oscar for Best Actor. I don't what he had against it--other than it wasn't up to the high standards of "Stroker Ace" and "Cannonball Run 2".
Maybe it was some kind of "moral" thing, but then he's either a hypocrite for being in it or an idiot for not knowing what it's about.
I think it wasn't cut the way he thought it was going to be. In the commentary, it's said the actor who played Maurice had problems too when they first saw it, asking if PTA was on drugs or something. It's been awhile since I listened to it.
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'Cause Napalm sticks to kids.
Whatever he was like on the set, when the film got released and well received (by critics) and Burt was getting praised for his performance I think he did a double take and was grateful.
Here's him winning the Golden Globe for his performance (he thanks Paul): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6E7mbNIT4I
Maybe he was a bit shocked when he realized how honest and heavy the film ended up being and was maybe nervous and skeptical of how the response would end of being... He was maybe kind of (like the saying) "stealing the thunder". I believe most of the "drama" was after the film was done post production and before release (I don't think he did press for it -- not sure though). I really think that was it. During the shoot maybe there was an ego issue too (if there was "drama on set"). You have to remember, Paul was 26 or 27 years old when we was directing "Boogie Nights", and Burt was a seasoned actor working on a film (directed by a young unknown -- "Hard Eight" wasn't even released at that time), and to top it off the film had an ensemble cast, so there (Burt) wasn't any lead actor.
Easily his best acting.
The only person I have heard about drama on the set with Burt was Thomas Jane (but setup by Paul): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49a7E39zv4Y
I guess there are certain, crazy means to an end with getting the "final result"... "Boogie Nights" is an underrated masterpiece -- it has aged very well -- more so than say "Pulp Fiction" (IMO) 3 years before.
Hard to believe Reynolds had no idea he was making a classic. I'm glad he had that moment at the Golden Globes, he even beat out Robin Williams, who later won the Oscar!
I only work in black ...and sometimes very, very dark grey!
99% of the time, people who work on a film have no clue if it's going to be a hit, or a flop.
shareMany other posters spoke about it too. From what I heard was Burt thought the movie was trash and borderline pornography. Burt thought this would be the final nail in the coffin of his movie career. It wasn't until after it came out and all the reviews were positive that he instantly changed his tune.
I love "Boogie Nights"...one of my favorite movies. And Burt was terrific in it. But looking at his choice of movies in his career and the fact he thought this film was trash makes me realize he isn't the best decision maker in what is good and what is bad.
I love "Boogie Nights"...one of my favorite movies. And Burt was terrific in it. But looking at his choice of movies in his career and the fact he thought this film was trash makes me realize he isn't the best decision maker in what is good and what is bad.
Burt Reynolds wasn't a fan of the film this is true. Until he was praised for his performance, then his attitude changed a bit. But did you know that Jack Horner was originally offered to Warren Beatty? He was P.T.A.'s first choice and his agent turned it down for him. When the movie became a critical and box office hit (albeit a minor one at the box office), Beatty fired his agent because of the press. This was also at a time when Beatty thought he was still a number one star so maybe this agent was right in doing so at the time. But I think Burt Reynolds owned it, he had the right presence for the role in my opinion.
share^Hmmm, Warren Beatty in that role? Can't imagine that, but, whatever.
Ironic thing about Jack Horner. He was one of the few people in the movie that did not have sex with anyone.
Beatty actually admitted he wanted to play the Dirk Diggler part.
Haters gonna hate
I know that Reynolds very much resented all the actual porn people on set and didn't like being around them.
This probably caused a lot of his friction with PTA. The fact that he was using porn actors along with mainstream talent. It's slightly more accepted nowadays but I know back then there was a huge stigma against porn talent and there usage was almost always nixed.
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Funny that he felt that way. It is one of ...or if not his greatest EVER performance. Wasn't Burt also in Striptease!? of all the movies and this is the one he bad mouths
shareThey actually clashed early on in filming because Burt was mad PTA was not letting him do any improv while letting the other actors do it. Burt felt he was being disrespected and punched Anderson. There was tension the rest of the shoot, and the scene where Dirk and Jack have to be separated was filmed immediately after the actual fight and the actors felt all the energy showed up in that scene in a helping manner. Thomas Jane also got in a shoving match with Reynolds. Many of the actors stated Burt felt it was beneath him to be around people really involved in the real porn scene that were either acting or helping in the film.
Haters gonna hate
You know Burt get's into scraps as much as a lot of people like to take a walk.
Once on the Johnny Carson Show he said he like's to get into fights as much as most people like to have sex. of course Burt was a lot younger and was showing off muchismo, but stories about him hold up throughout his movie career.
Ahhhh Fugg him! Old azz basterd.
Spoiler alert for them spoil sports out there! Y'all like spoiled milk, stop crying over it!