Winning a role on Gunsmoke can feel like achieving the dream of a lifetime, but for Burt Reynolds, it was anything but smooth sailing. Reynolds made a name for himself when he joined the Gunsmoke cast in 1962 as blacksmith Quint Asper, and it was a role that Reynolds certainly fought for, as he was chosen out of three hundred other actors, according to an interview with Associated Press. In fact, Reynolds narrowly beat out one other actor during the final rounds of auditions, cinching his victory after he appeared in his first episode.
However, not all of the cast was thrilled with the outcome, as some actors in the Gunsmoke cast had their hearts set another another Quint Asper. Reynolds stated, “With Milburn [Stone] and Amanda [Blake], it was another matter. They had been pulling for the other actor to win, so there was some resentment.”
Luckily, Reynolds not only had the support of Gunsmoke producers, but he had Marshal Matt Dillon on his side as well. The actor said that, while James Arness had a more reserved personality, he gave Reynolds his undivided support.
Reynolds stated, “Jim was for me from the start, so that was no worry. I don’t mean we are close friends, because nobody gets close to Jim. That’s the way he is.”
Luckily, the bad blood between Milburn, Blake, and Reynolds didn’t last long. Reynolds confessed, “In time we became the closest of friends, as people often do after an initial antagonism. I have dinner with one of them at least once a week.”
In fact, in an interview with the Red Deer Advocate, Reynolds called Milburn Stone, “a surrogate father to me.” and added, “He was an extraordinary man. So it looks like after the castmates put their differences aside, they were able to become more than just friends. They became a family.