Who Was Burt Reynolds? New Doc Looks Inside the Life of the 1970s Hollywood Hunk

Documentarian Adam Buitenhuis speaks to EDGE about the latest film in his series that looks at the lives of famous Hollywood notables. With "I Am Burt Reynolds," he looks into the life of the 1970s hunky superstar.

Adrian Buitenhuis is one of the most prolific documentarians around. He has worked for such outlets as Sony Pictures, CBS and Vice Media among others. With Network Entertainment, he has directed documentaries on Pablo Escobar and b Suge Knight as part of the seven-part series, "Facing," for National Geographic.

But one of his most interesting ongoing projects is his series on the lives of celebrities that began in 2017 with "I Am Keith Ledger." He followed that with ones on Sam Kinison, Paul Walker, Patrick Swayze, and Canadian music legend Anne Murray. Recently the latest in his "I Am..." series focuses on Hollywood icon Burt Reynolds. His film, "I Am Burt Reynolds" is currently streaming on the CW and is available on Apple TV.

In the 1970s, there was no bigger male movie star than Reynolds, the hunky actor who was a natural to star in television Westerns and action films in the 1960s. With his breakout role in "Deliverance" in 1972, a grueling film in which he played an outsdoorsman leading a group of friends on a canoeing trip through the Georgia wilderness. Also that year he became a national sensation by posing nude in Cosmopolitan Magazine. He later said he did the photo shoot "as a kick" and because he had "a strange sense of humor." But he later regretted it. Nonetheless, at the 1972 Oscars, he was the most joked about Hollywood celebrity.

That decade was Reynolds' golden period by pivoting between rural (meaning Southern) comedies ("Smokey and the Bandit") and more sophisticated fare ("Semi-Tough," "Starting Over"). His private life, which included a relationships with singer Dinah Shore and Sally Field. His first marriage to British actress Judy Carne ("Laugh-In") ended in divorce. He went on to marry actress Loni Anderson from 1988 to 1994, with whom he adopted a son.

They both proved to be important contributors to Buitenhuis's film, which follows his his early career highs, subsequent decline and resurgence late in his life. This included a celebrated role in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" and "The Last Movie Star," a 2017 film in which he played a not-so-disguised version of himself. Reynolds died of a heart attack the following year at the age of 82.

EDGE spoke to Buitenhuis about the appeal of Burt Reynolds as a subject, what he learned about his off-screen life, and how that Cosmopolitan centerfold impacted his career.

EDGE: Why Burt Reynolds?

Adrian Buitenhuis: I think he's such an icon. The fact that there'd never been an official documentary about his life surprised me. I think he's one of the last true movie stars. His career went back to the studio system and for him to be still making films into the new Hollywood era and to be in Boogie Nights is amazing. To make a film about him was tracking the history of Hollywood, which was pretty amazing. The interviews that we got and to be able to talk to his friends, family, and colleagues were incredible. I can't think of many who lived into this era who saw as much and did as much as he did in Hollywood.

EDGE: The celebrity interviews of Burt's colleagues and friends are impressive. Do you have a favorite?

Adrian Buitenhuis: Oh, that's tough. Everyone was so special. For me, as a filmmaker, being able to talk with Peter Bogdanovich was special. Bruce Dern, we could have made a miniseries with the amount of material that he shared. It was fun to turn him on and watch him go. Some of the stories were amazing and what an incredible memory he has. The stuff that he remembered.

Having the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time with Loni Anderson and her son, Quinton Reynolds was important. They have been super supportive through this process. They not only were interviewed in the film, but they also gave us a lot of material – never-before-seen photographs and home videos. I was there with Loni when a bust was presented at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and we screened the film in Hollywood. This has been an ongoing relationship. Also, Nancy Lee Hess, his niece, opened the doors to Burt's house for us.

We shot quite a bit of the film in Burt's House, which was pretty special. Marilu Henner also has a photographic memory, so her stories were great. Another amazing interview, Joe Namath. It's hard to pick a winner. I think we did a pretty good job of curating the cast and I love the way everyone brought something different and special from their experience with Burt. He was a magical person who impacted a lot of people, not only on a global scale but in a personal way as well.

EDGE: Anyone you wanted to talk to but didn't get?

Adrian Buitenhuis: We Were close with Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino. Those are people that Burt had worked with in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," which is loosely based on Burt Reynolds. We tried, but then COVID happened. I think the cast we have is really strong. For me, it's getting not only movie stars, but finding those people who were close to him on a personal level like Joe Namath and Ariel Winter. When Burt made "The Last Movie Star," he was older and quite vulnerable. He and Ariel had a really strong intergenerational connection, which was interesting to learn about.

EDGE: What did you learn about Burt that surprised you?

Adrian Buitenhuis: Where do I start? He certainly had a big heart. He could not help spending money. He would start his Christmas list in January, and he had hundreds of people he would buy for. So many people came up to me and told me how Burt had helped them, or said, "Burt looked out for me." One person told me that he was a camera assistant on one of his films, and Burt told him "No, you're not (a camera operator), you're a cinematographer" and then within a couple of years he became one.

There were so many stories of how Burt would foster and look out for others. He was never out of himself. He was a team player, and he always brought the same people back when he was making a film. I was also surprised by his love of theater and that he started a dinner theater in Florida. He was trying to bring that Broadway energy to Florida. I loved learning about his relationships with others and learning more about his relationship with his son, who he cared so much for. There are so many stories I could just go on forever.

EDGE: His centerfold in the April 1972 issue of Cosmopolitan may have been a gay awakening for many. Why do you think he regretted it when so many loved it?

Adrian Buitenhuis: That's a good question. Burt loved it because it was quite liberating and he loved telling his fans, male and female, that it's good to be proud of your body. It was a huge moment in his life, but also one that came at a cost. He regretted it because in Hollywood, especially in old Hollywood, he wouldn't be taken seriously as an actor. This centerfold came out in lockstep with "Deliverance," and he wanted to be considered an actor for serious roles but was not because of the photo shoot. I think what he was doing was progressive. He had said about it that we're allowed to have centerfolds of naked women, and that's fine in our society. We're allowed to have them nude in a magazine for us to look at, but women don't get to have the same opportunity. For him, it was very tongue-in-cheek, but it was also thoughtful. Burt, being from the South, was very progressive in his outlook and his mindset. He was a champion of that. It was mostly just because he felt limited in his career perspective, and it did hurt his career because he was not getting the more serious roles that he wanted.

EDGE: Do you have a favorite Burt Reynolds film?

Adrian Buitenhuis: I remember him from "Boogie Nights," but that is because Paul Thomas Anderson's one of my favorite filmmakers. His performance in "Deliverance" is amazing and is one of my favorites. I know you asked for one, but I think "Smokey and the Bandit," the first one, is great because there's so much of himself in that film. Performance-wise "Deliverance" is the best. They shot that film sequentially on the river, and he did most of his own stunts. It was such an intense film, and I would've loved to see more of that kind of acting from him.

EDGE: What is the message you want the viewer to walk away with?

Adrian Buitenhuis: He was a dynamic and loving individual. For me, he was the last great movie star who touched and helped a lot of people. What makes these "I Am" documentaries so special is we get personal stories from people who knew them, so I think this shows that Burt was more than a one-dimensional person. He kind of got written off because of the Cosmo article and his Smokey movies, but he was so much more than these two events. He was a dynamic and talented individual that had a big heart and he cared about a lot of people. Not all Hollywood actors are like that. And I think that was the problem. A lot of people pigeonholed him, and he had a lot more to offer than people knew.

EDGE: What do you learn about yourself as you make these documentaries about actors who are no longer with us?

Adrian Buitenhuis: That we're all intensely human. We all make mistakes. Whether you're a movie star or you're just a regular person, we all go through the same sort of struggles and we have highs and lows. For us, it's just on a different level, but we are all human beings. We all have some kind of struggles in life, it could be intergenerational or we're dealing with a personal relationship, but no matter what it is we need to be reflecting on our own life. In terms of the takeaway, I don't know. I think it's always one of those things where I'm making these films and I'm dealing with my own stuff in life, but I'm always trying to learn. I always try to live in the moment. It's exciting that the CW is going to be showing all these films and that they are going to get a new life and a new audience, which is exciting. What is exciting is that Burt's film has never been seen in America, so I'm excited to share it with you, the CW family, and everyone who tunes in.

EDGE: For your "I Am" documentaries, you have shined the spotlight on Burt Reynolds, Sam Kinison, Chris Farley, and Heath Ledger. Who is next?

Adrian Buitenhuis: I don't think I can talk about that yet. Just suffice to say, this is an ongoing relationship with the CW and we're super excited about it. Not only bringing the catalog of "I AM" films that we have, but we're full steam ahead on a few more new films. I think it's going to be an exciting partnership with them because the CW has brought a new voice in terms of where are we going next, and we will be broadening our scope and bringing in some interesting women into the fold as well. I'm excited about it. I can say that they have announced a couple of the I AM films that will be airing in January - Chris Farley, Paul Walker, and Martin Luther King.

"I Am Burt Reynolds" is streaming on the CW.