Sally Field, the two-time Academy Award-winning actress, has opened up about her tumultuous relationship with Burt Reynolds in Dave Karger’s new book, 50 Oscar Nights, set to be released on January 23, 2024. Field reveals that Reynolds, her boyfriend at the time, was not supportive of the buzz she was receiving for her leading role in Norma Rae, ahead of the 1980 Academy Awards.

Field recalls Reynolds being unhappy with the attention she was getting for her career-changing performance in Norma Rae, stating that he was ‘not a nice guy’ around her during that time. She further discloses that Reynolds had refused to attend the 52nd Academy Awards as her date, showing signs of unsupportiveness towards her career.

Despite Reynolds’ lack of support, Field went on to win her first Academy Award in 1980. However, she found herself without a date for the ceremony. It was actor and comedian David Steinberg and his then-wife, Judy, who stepped in to accompany Field and make the night a memorable celebration.

Reynolds, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 82, had dated Field for five years in the late ’70s and early ’80s after meeting her on the set of Smokey and the Bandit. In her 2018 memoir, In Pieces, released shortly after Reynolds’ death, Field described him as a significant but short-lived part of her life, with whom she had limited contact in his final years.

In a 2022 interview, Field humorously mentioned that kissing Reynolds on screen involved ‘a lot of drooling.’ Reynolds, prior to his passing, expressed regret over not marrying Field and having children with her.