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The 1997 hitBoogie Nightsnot only launched Mark Wahlberg and Paul Thomas Anderson to the limelight and kickstarted their ascend to the top, it is also considered Burt Reynolds’ best work. Starring alongside Wahlberg, whose character embarks on a journey to attain success in the p-rn industry before falling face-first after being addicted to drugs, Reynolds plays the role of his mentor.
And while he attained enormous acclaim for his portrayal of a veteran p-rn filmmaker in the film, which earned him his first and only Golden Globe win, the actor famously despised the film.
Also read:“They like to laugh at me”: Mark Wahlberg’s Kids Think 2-Time Oscar Nominated Dad is ‘Cringe’
It Wasn’t Burt Reynolds’ Kind of Film
Rosing into prominence in the ’60s,Burt Reynoldsdelved into a lot of action flicks in the ’70s and ’80s, with his motivation behind taking the gigs being mostly fun. But for the complex dramaBoogie Nights, which is universally adored by fans and critics, including Quentin Tarantino, Burt Reynolds wasn’t too kind on it, as he revealed he hated working alongside PTA. In addition, the actor expressed that it wasn’t his kind of film. And while speaking withConan, the Oscar-nominated star admitted that he didn’t bother watching the movie, which he initially rejected 7 times.
Expanding on his rift with Paul Thomas Anderson, Reynolds further jokingly admitted,“I just wanted to hit him”, and in a separate interview withGQ, he described PTA as“young and full of himself.”
Also read:“I thought you would think that was funny”: Burt Reynolds’ Own Goodfellas Moment Backfired for Trying to Make Robert De Niro Laugh That Resulted in a ‘Beating’
Boogie NightsBenefited From the Tension Between PTA and Burt Reynolds
Reflecting on the reports of Reynolds’ rift with him onBoogie Nights,Paul Thomas Andersonadmitted that the reports were true. However, it wasn’t a problem, as theMagnoliadirector explained that the tension between the two ameliorated the nasty part of the film. He toldThe Ringer’s Bill Simmons:
“I think that when Burt and I kind of got into it, it may have been the day before or the day after, but it was a really tense three days on the set of ‘Boogie Nights,’”Anderson said.“The other 57 days were really fun and a lot of laughs, but there were three tense days there in the middle where Mark was fighting with Burt, or in the film. Looking back, it was really in the nasty part of the movie, too, when really everything’s kind of going wrong.”
Also read:“It must have been my stupid period”: Burt Reynolds’ Biggest Mistake Was Not Rejecting James Bond, Instead a Potential Oscar Winning Role Played by Jack Nicholson
But it isn’t Reynolds alone who regretted making the film as Mark Wahlberg, whose career skyrocketed afterBoogie Nights, doesn’t look fondly to his decision to star in the classic.
Boogie Nightsis available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2543
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
