Surprising Facts You Didn’t Know About These Iconic ’70s Stars

At the height of his fame, Burt Reynolds didn’t hide his contempt for directors he considered overly intellectual or self-important. He openly mocked them in interviews and on set, sometimes refusing direction outright if he thought it interfered with instinct or timing.

Reynolds’ defiance fit his persona perfectly. Films like Smokey and the Bandit thrived on looseness and charm, qualities he believed couldn’t be over-directed. His behavior would later haunt him, but in the ’70s it reinforced his image as a star who answered to no one—and didn’t pretend otherwise.