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Hollywood Legend Reveals His Biggest Career Regrets — Including Turning Down the Role of Han Solo and a Move That may Have Cost Him an Oscar

Mar 17, 2016  •  Post A Comment

An actor who is a living legend in Hollywood might have been even bigger had he made a few different career choices. Business Insider reports that Burt Reynolds ran through some of the decisions he considers mistakes — including the infamous 1972 nude spread in Cosmopolitan, which Reynolds now believes cost him an Academy Award nomination for “Deliverance.”

Also on the 80-year-old actor’s list of regrets: turning down the role of Han Solo in the first “Star Wars” movie. Reynolds told the publication: “I just didn’t want to play that kind of role at the time. Now, I regret it. I wish I would have done it.”

Reynolds said he was also offered the role of James Bond following the 1969 George Lazenby one-off “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” He said he didn’t think an American could pull it off, but he has since changed his mind.

“I think I was putting myself down in a way because I think I could have done it very well,” Reynolds told the publication. “Though once you do something like that and it’s successful you’re bound to play that part for a long time. I think I would have liked it. I like that kind of tongue-in-cheek humor.”

Here’s a clip of Reynolds in action on “Gunsmoke,” where he played Quint Asper in the 1960s …

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