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Sally Field has spent decades building one of Hollywood’s most respected careers, delivering memorable performances in films such as Norma Rae, Steel Magnolias, Forrest Gump, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Smokey and the Bandit. Yet one of the most unexpected stories from her career involves something far less glamorous: an on-screen kiss she remembered as particularly unpleasant.
During a 2022 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Field was asked which actor had given her the worst on-screen kiss. The question clearly caught her off guard. After briefly hesitating and joking about whether she should reveal the name, the two-time Academy Award winner decided to answer honestly.
Her response surprised viewers: Burt Reynolds.
The choice was particularly striking because Reynolds and Field were not simply longtime Hollywood co-stars. Their professional relationship became a genuine romance, making their chemistry in Smokey and the Bandit one of the most recognizable pairings of 1970s American cinema.
A Hollywood Romance That Began on Set
Field and Reynolds met while working on the 1977 comedy Smokey and the Bandit. The film became a major success, and the two stars quickly developed a relationship away from the cameras.
They dated for approximately five years and appeared together in several movies, including Smokey and the Bandit, Smokey and the Bandit II, The End, and Hooper. Their relationship attracted considerable attention, partly because their on-screen chemistry appeared to mirror their real-life connection.
Reynolds later spoke warmly about Field and described her as one of the most important people in his life. Even years after their relationship ended, he continued to express regret about how things had unfolded between them.
Field, however, eventually offered a more complicated perspective on their romance.
The Kiss That Became a Hollywood Anecdote
When Cohen pressed Field for details about the infamous kiss, she explained that Reynolds simply was not particularly skilled at kissing on camera. She also joked that there was considerable drooling involved.
The revelation was amusing to audiences because it contrasted sharply with the couple’s polished romantic image on screen. Their performances had helped establish the idea that they were a naturally compatible Hollywood pair.
But Field’s comments were not necessarily a judgment of Reynolds as a person or actor. Rather, they reflected her personal experience of working closely with him during a period when their professional and private lives were deeply intertwined.
Their Relationship Was More Complicated Than the Movies Suggested
The story became more meaningful after Field discussed her relationship with Reynolds in her 2018 memoir, In Pieces. She described the relationship as complicated and emotionally difficult, offering a perspective that differed substantially from the romantic image audiences had seen on screen.
Reynolds died in 2018 at age 82. Field issued a heartfelt statement acknowledging that their years together remained part of her personal history.
That contrast is what makes the story so fascinating. Hollywood often presents romance as effortless, particularly when two stars appear to have extraordinary chemistry in a successful movie. Behind the scenes, however, relationships can be far more complicated.