Once Upon a Time in Hollywood director, Quentin Tarantino spoke about witnessing Burt Reynolds’ happiness firsthand in the weeks leading up to the actor’s death. Reynolds was set to take on the role of George Spahn in the film, the owner of the Spahn Movie Ranch lived in by Charles Manson and his followers. Yet, the actor and director ed away of a heart attack before getting the chance to film his scenes. Despite it being a longstanding dream of Tarantino to work with the legendary actor, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was the first project on which they had the opportunity to collaborate. The role of George Spahn was filled by Bruce Dern, who has appeared in multiple Tarantino projects.
Burt Reynolds rose to prominence in the 1960s as an actor in television on shows like Gunsmoke. It was his role as Quint Asper in the western drama that inspired Quentin Tarantino’s mother in naming the director. Reynolds's icon status was ultimately solidified after the critical success ofBoogie Nights, in which he played porn filmmaker Jack Horner. Reynolds continued to work until his death, eventually appearing posthumously in two films with plans to take on more roles.
In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Quentin Tarantino spoke about having the opportunity to rehearse with Burt Reynolds while preparing for his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood role. Read his full quote about his impression of the actor’s happiness in his final weeks below:
"I got a chance to rehearse with him," Tarantino told CBS Sunday Morning. "I'm officially the last role he played because he came to the script reading so that was his last acting. Not only that but the night he died, what he was doing before he ed on was he was running lines with his assistant. That's like sad and beautiful at the same time....He was so happy. I can honestly say he died happy. I'm not saying he died happy because of me, but he was happy, he was definitely happy when he ed on."
Tarantino is currently promoting his novelization. The project marked the director’s first work of literary fiction and was released on June 29. Based on the award-winning film, the novel provides a deeper look into the mysterious character of Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth, providing readers with film criticism and assessments that probably reflect the sentiments of Tarantino far more than the fictional stuntman.
Despite not appearing on screen, Reynolds’ impact on the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood does live on in the fight scene between Cliff Booth and the Bruce Lee character. As tension grows between the characters, Lee tells Booth that he’s “pretty for a stuntman,” a line provided by Reynolds after reading over the script. Thus, despite the typical eccentricities provided by Tarantino in past interviews, fans can take comfort in the particular tidbit of information that the legendary actor ended up with his own happy ending.
Source: CBS Sunday Morning (via Comicbook)
