Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds were both major celebrities, however, they both were fired from the same studio around the same time. Reynolds revealed Eastwood was fired for something he couldn’t change. Here’s a look at what happened — and the relationship between the two stars.
What Burt Reynolds said to Clint Eastwood after they were fired
During an interview with CNN’s Larry King, Reynolds discussed the time he and Eastwood were fired from Universal Studios. “Well, Eastwood was — I always tell the story that we were fired the same day, but we weren’t, Reynolds said. “We were fired the same year. And he was fired because his Adam’s apple stuck out too far. He talked too slow. And he had a chipped tooth and he wouldn’t get it fixed. And I said, ‘Why are you firing me?’” The people at the studio replied “You can’t act.”
King asked if that was a “blow” to him. “No,” Reynolds recalled. “I said — no, I said to Clint, ‘You know, you are really screwed, because I can learn how to act. You can’t get rid of that Adam’s apple.’” Reynolds joked “And it’s held him back. It’s held him back.” Reynolds noted the next time he worked at Universal Studios, he was paid $1 million. Eastwood was paid the same sum when he got to work at Universal Studios again.
Burt Reynolds’ theory about why Clint Eastwood kept making movies into his old age
Eastwood’s features did not ultimately hold him back and he became prominent both as an actor and as a director. During an interview with Deadline, Mike Fleming Jr. asked Reynolds why Eastwood continued to make movies as he got older. “Well, maybe he just got married and he wants a new house,” Reynolds joked. “I don’t know. But knowing Clint, he loves to do what he does, and he’s very, very good at it. He’s the best of my group, at directing, and I think he’ll do it till he drops over.”
In addition, Reynolds revealed he didn’t always get along with other actors from his generation. For example, he decried James Caan as a phony — a fake tough guy. However, Reynolds said he and Eastwood were friends and he praised Eastwood’s authenticity.
The time the two stars made a movie together
Clearly, Eastwood and Reynolds were friends — and Reynolds even admired Eastwood’s directing ability. This raises an interesting question: Did Eastwood and Reynolds ever work together on a film? They did. The actors co-starred in a 1984 buddy comedy called City Heat. Considering the film was released when Eastwood and Reynolds were both major stars, the film certainly could have become a massive hit.
However, Box Office Mojo reports the film earned $38 million. That was a modest sum, even for 1984. For comparison, Box Office Mojo reports Reynold’s 1977 caper Smokey and the Bandit earned a whopping $127 million. Even if Eastwood and Reynolds didn’t draw audiences to the box office with City Heat, they remained icons — and friends.