Sally Field's Famed Relationship With Burt Reynolds Was Full Of Ups & Downs

A story of star-crossed lovers or a toxic love affair? What was the truth behind Sally Field and Burt Reynolds' five-year relationship? From Reynolds' point of view, Field was the love of his life and the one that got away, but when the "Forrest Gump" actor talks about their relationship, it's easy to see the feeling wasn't exactly mutual.

Field and Reynolds met before filming "Smokey and the Bandit" in 1976, after Reynolds specifically requested that she get the role. The story is one Reynolds recounted multiple times to numerous outlets, but it tells much more than he possibly intended. One such interview was with "Today" in 2018. "I wanted her really bad for 'Smokey' and they said, 'Well, she's not sexy.' And I said, 'You don't get it, talent is sexy.' And she's got that," he revealed (via ET). 

This story subtly frames Field as the not-so-alluring actor, and Reynolds as the one who saw her value when others didn't. Never mind that Sally Field's best-dressed moments in the '70s tell a different story, or the fact that she'd previously starred in "Stay Hungry," playing a sexy gym receptionist in a role that included nude scenes. Regardless, Reynolds reached out to a starstruck Field, broached the offer, and asked her out on a date.

One of the sweetest aspects of Sally Field and Burt Reynolds' relationship was its beginning. Decades later, during a 2026 episode of the "Talking Pictures Podcast," Field could still recall the details of their first date. She shared how Reynolds sent his bodyguard to her hotel to knock on the door and bring her downstairs, and how anxious she felt. "I was so nervous, I thought I would pass out," she recounted. "I had really never been on any dates. I started when I was 18 in television, and the whole world of that ilk was swept away from me."

Although she handled the nerves by acting like what she called a "clown," her personality must have appealed to Reynolds, because they soon started a relationship. Very quickly, things got deep. "We had known each other about three days, four days at that point [during the filming of 'Smokey and the Bandit']," she recalled to "Good Morning America." "It was instantaneous, and four days felt like four years" (via People).

Threading a new romance alongside a movie might have been difficult for some, but for Reynolds and Field, it opened the door for vulnerability and improvisation. The make-it-up-as-we-go technique might be why their genuine feelings for each other seemed to shine through the script and their scenes together. Unfortunately, this intense connection wasn't without its drawbacks.

Sally Field and Burt Reynolds' instant connection might sound romantic, but in reality it meant that it got too deep, too fast. "I fell in love with him the second I met him. I dedicated my life to him at that instant. It was like, 'Here, you want my leg? Take my leg. Cut it off at the thigh,'" she recalled to The Washington Post. However, her penchant for giving her all meant that she made herself small to stay in the relationship.

One such occurrence was a year into the relationship when Field was nominated for her first Emmy for the TV movie "Sybil." It was supposed to be a monumental moment for the young actor, a night where she was to bask in the spotlight of her achievements, but Field never showed up to the ceremony. "I don't know what I was looking for — for him to be supportive and go, yay? But he wasn't. And it wasn't that he said, don't go. It was also my predisposition," she told NPR about Reynolds. This would have been a solid time for Field to learn how to practice healthy selfishness while dating, but she didn't. Instead, she stayed home alone and watched the awards on TV.

Beyond her wins being under-celebrated, Field slowly began to disappear. "I dressed for him, looked for him, walked for him. [But] that was terrible because what happened is that I stopped existing," she shared (via Us Weekly). Interestingly, in a 2015 interview with WBUR, Reynolds claimed quite the opposite. "Well, I was in love with her and it wasn't reciprocated," he said. "She liked me, but she didn't love me the way I loved her."

Sally Field and Burt Reynolds may have debated who loved the other more, but one thing they (and everyone else) agreed on was that their sizzling chemistry was unmatched. Their first movie together, "Smokey and the Bandit," was a prime example. Field played the role of a fleeing bride who hitched a ride with a Reynolds' bandit character on an illegal mission to deliver cases of beer. The premise might have been a bit silly, but their chemistry was not. 

"One of the things people say about 'Smokey' is that you watch two people fall in love on the screen," Burt Reynolds wrote in his 2015 memoir, "But Enough About Me" (via The New York Times). Fans definitely agree, with some even ranking the film as one of the best love stories of the era.

Even in 1981, a year after their relationship ended, Field admitted that their attraction had not faded. When an interviewer from The Washington Post asked her to share who "the sexiest man she had ever met" was, she mentioned Reynolds without hesitation. "I adore him. I will never be over him," she said.

One major issue that marred Burt Reynolds and Sally Field's relationship was his infidelity. Reynolds' star status meant that it was virtually impossible to keep his indiscretions hidden, making the situation publicly humiliating for Field. In her memoir "In Pieces," she revealed that her grandmother began sending her tabloid news clippings detailing Reynolds' affair. "Part of me knew it was all true. I felt duped and a fool," she shared (via Us Weekly).

The pair could have been one of the celeb couples that survived affair scandals, but other parts of their relationship were struggling just as badly. In Burt Reynolds' memoir "But Enough About Me," he shared that he wanted to help Field plot her career, and encouraged her to take the role in "Norma Rae." Field's account said quite the opposite.

"It was the beginning of me pulling away when he didn't want me to do 'Norma Rae,' ... and it was because she had some sexual past. He threw the script at me," Field told People. "He wanted to control me, and because I was standing up, he said, 'Boy, you're letting this get the better of you.'" Field insisted on doing the movie anyway, but Reynolds tried to deter her from attending the movie's premiere. He didn't even show up at the Oscars, even though Field was nominated for her role in the film. Regardless, she won the award, and that helped her find her voice even more.

In his memoir, Burt Reynolds shared the painful aftermath of his split with Sally Field. He wrote that he wanted to see her after the breakup, but she refused. Her decision broke him, leaving him wishing he could unwind time. He later echoed the sentiment to the Daily Mail, saying that she was the love of his life and he'd messed up their relationship. "I have no idea what Sally thinks about it. She could pick up the phone and speak to me but she never does ... Maybe she'll phone me one day. I'd love to have that conversation."

Reynolds' public declarations might have seemed sweet to others, but Field had an interesting opinion. "I would feel him kind of reach out to me via the press," she acknowledged on "The View" (via Fox News). "It was something he would do even when we were dating. He would speak to me about things that he could call me on the phone about."

Regardless, the "Steel Magnolias" actor admitted that Reynolds was an important part of her life while the relationship lasted. However, he wasn't the only big romance she had, as she had significant relationships before and after him. Sally Field's thoughts on marriage after two divorces are sure to make you laugh, but what's even more telling was her assessment of her various relationships on the "Wiser Than Me" podcast in March 2024. "I've just never been good at picking up a real person, a partner, to be with who would be loving and know me and not want to change me and also be challenging to me," she shared.