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When Burt Reynolds passed away in September 2018, he would have likely had very few regrets as far as his career was concerned. He would have definitely rued the financial decisions that he made, which saw him burn through nearly all of the $60 million net worth that he had accrued in his heyday.
Other than that, the Evening Shade star would have most likely been proud of a professional life that saw him win two Golden Globe Awards, one Primetime Emmy Award as well as one Academy Award nomination.
Some of the most notable roles of Reynolds’ career included in the movies Deliverance, The Longest Yard, Starting Over and Boogie Nights, as well as the TV shows Gunsmoke and Dan August.
For Boogie Nights, however, the actor bumped into another of the big challenges of his career. He felt uncomfortable with the subject matter, and also had such a bad time on set, that he ended up firing his agent at the time.
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One decision that Reynolds would later admit he regretted making was saying no to a role in Star Wars.
What Character Did Burt Reynolds Turn Down In Star Wars?
20th Century Fox set aside a budget of $11 million for the very first Star Wars movie in the mid-1970s. It was a significant investment in an ambitious story that didn’t yet carry the favor of hindsight that it does in modern times. To offer context, that figure adjusted for inflation would equate to more than $60 million in 2022.
Burt Reynolds was one of very many actors considered for various roles by the studio. Specifically, writer-director George Lucas was interested in seeing him take on the role of Han Solo.
On the official Star Wars website, the character is described as “captain of the Millennium Falcon, [who alongside] his co-pilot Chewbacca came to believe in the cause of galactic freedom, joining Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa in the fight against the [tyrannical Galactic] Empire.”
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The choice of who the greatest Star Wars character of all time is would differ from fan to fan of the popular franchise. Still, there are many who would stake their life on it being Han Solo. The honor of playing this part eventually went to Harrison Ford.
Burt Reynolds Lost Out On Tens Of Millions By Saying No To Star Wars
The business of estimating how much an actor lost out on by refusing a particular role can be relatively tricky. To start with, as was the case between Burt Reynolds and Harrison Ford, two stars dueling for one role might enjoy very unique profiles – and therefore attract potentially very different salary brackets.
While still holding on to this argument, what is not in question is the fact that at the time when production got underway for Star Wars in 1976, Reynolds’ stock as a Hollywood star was light years ahead of Ford’s.
The former had already established himself as a serious name in the industry. On the other hand, it was in fact his role in Star Wars that would put Ford on the map as a serious player on the big screen.
RELATED: Harrison Ford Regretted Turning Down A Role To George Clooney That Could Have Landed Him An Oscar
Suffice to say, then, that Reynolds would have been within his rights to expect a bigger payday than his compatriot eventually received. In total, Ford is believed to have earned more than $30 million from all his Star Wars appearances.
Burt Reynolds Also Refused To Play James Bond
After that original performance as Han Solo in the first Star Wars, Harrison Ford would go on to reprise the role in four other sequels and prequels. The final of that was in The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, albeit in an uncredited cameo. Had Burt Reynolds trodden that path instead, his career would have clearly had a significantly different look about it.
Star Wars is not the only major franchise that the actor turned down, though. He was reportedly given the opportunity to succeed Sean Connery as James Bond, but he refused that role as well. In an interview with The Mirror, he explained his reasoning for this decision also, revealing that he didn’t believe an American could play Bond effectively.
At the same time, he did acknowledge his regret at turning down two career-defining roles. “I don’t think there’s any actor who doesn’t think he’s made bad career choices,” said Reynolds. “You learn from it though – you learn to be a better actor.”
Roger Moore eventually stepped into Connery’s shoes as James Bond. Some vindication for Reynolds might come from the fact that no American has played the role ever since.
