Sally Field Expresses Relief That Burt Reynolds Will Never Read Her New Memoir
Upon learning about Burt Reynolds recent passing, ex-flame and long-time friend, Sally Field, 71, was heartbroken.
Field released a statement expressing her sadness, saying, “There are times in your life that are so indelible, they never fade away. They stay alive, even forty years later. My years with Burt never leave my mind. He will be in my history and my heart, for as long as I live. Rest, Buddy.”
And while there is no denying Field’s genuine affection and respect for Reynold’s, she admits that she’s glad that he is not around to read about her feelings regarding their somewhat tumultuous romantic history as she writes about it in her new memoir, In Pieces.
A Less Than Perfect Relationship
After meeting on the set of Smokey and the Bandit in the late ‘70s, Burt Reynolds and Sally Field began dating and eventually came to be known as the ‘it’ Hollywood couple at the time.
And while Reynolds has been quoted as calling Field the “love of his life” on several occasions, even years after the pair split, it turns out that their relationship wasn’t as perfect as the paparazzi pictures made it seem.
After years of silence, Field finally is finally opening up about her difficult relationship with Reynolds in her memoir, explaining in a recent interview with the New York Times that their relationship was “confusing and complicated, and not without loving and caring, but really complicated and hurtful to me.”
However, Field’s memoir isn’t solely about her relationship with Reynolds, as she also shares gut-wrenching allegations regarding the abuse she suffered from her stepfather, actor and stuntman, Jock Mahoney. Throughout the memoir, Field draws connections between the abuse that she endured as a child and how it impacted her tumultuous romance with Reynolds and other men in her life.
While Field’s memoir reads as both honest and heartfelt, Field believes that if Reynolds were alive to read it today, he would be deeply troubled by her words.
As she told the New York Times, “This would hurt him. I felt glad that he wasn’t going to read it, he wasn’t going to be asked about it, and he wasn’t going to have to defend himself or lash out, which he probably would have. I did not want to hurt him any further.”
It is important to note that Field’s memories of Reynolds and their time together are not all troubled, though – in general, she prefers to look back on her time with him as being both meaningful and instrumental in her growth as a woman and an actor, telling NPR, “I’ve always thought of him rather nostalgically. … He was a very important part of my life, but for a tiny little part of my life. I was only with him for about three years and then maybe two years on-and-off after that. But it was so hugely important in my own existence, my own movement as a person.”
Are you a fan of Sally Field? What was your favorite Burt Reynolds movie? Do you plan on reading Field’s new memoir, In Pieces? Join the conversation and share your thoughts below!
