Sally Field has spent decades winning over audiences with memorable performances in films and television, from Gidget and The Flying Nun to Steel Magnolias, Forrest Gump, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Erin Brockovich. But during a candid appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the Oscar-winning actress revealed a surprisingly awkward memory from her Hollywood career. When a fan asked Field to name her worst on-screen kiss, she initially hesitated, laughing as she wondered whether she should really identify the actor. Cohen encouraged her to go ahead, and Field eventually revealed the answer: Burt Reynolds, her former boyfriend and Smokey and the Bandit co-star. The revelation was especially surprising because the two had dated for several years after meeting on the 1977 film. Field joked that Reynolds had a habit of “drooling” during their scenes together, making those romantic moments much less appealing than audiences might have imagined.
Their relationship became one of Hollywood’s better-known romances, but Field later made clear that the relationship was complicated and that she eventually chose to distance herself from Reynolds. In interviews, she explained that she had not spoken with him during the final decades of his life because being around him was no longer healthy for her. Reynolds, who died in 2018 at age 82, later reflected on their relationship in his memoir and reportedly expressed regret about how things had unfolded. Field, however, maintained that she had moved on and did not want to revisit the relationship. Her honesty has added another layer to a career already filled with unforgettable moments, especially after she opened up about painful experiences from her childhood and early life in her memoir. Despite those difficult chapters, Field continued building an extraordinary career and remained active on screen well into her later years. Her unexpected confession about Reynolds may have surprised longtime fans, but it also showed the candid humor and independence that have remained part of her public personality.
