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Sally Field’s Surprising Reveal About Her Worst On-Screen Kiss

Rosemary Giles
Photo Credit: Morgan Lieberman/ Getty Images/ Cropped
Photo Credit: Morgan Lieberman/ Getty Images/ Cropped

During an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, actress Sally Field was asked an extremely personal question by a fan in the audience. They wanted to know about Field’s worst on-screen kiss. Rather than avoiding the question, she decided to be completely honest and give an answer – and a name. Needless to say, the actor is probably the last person many of us would suspect of being a bad kisser.

An award-winning career

Sally Field began her career in television with comedic roles in Gidget, The Flying Nun, and The Girl with Something Extra in the 1960s and ’70s. She then studied at the prestigious acting workshop “The Actors Studio” for two years and decided to focus on more dramatic roles. Field got the leading role in Norma Rae and earned her first Academy Award in 1980 for her incredible performance.

Sally Field in a floral shirt holding an Emmy Award, smiling.
Sally Field attends the 52nd Academy Awards in Los Angeles, 1980. (Photo Credit: Barbara Rosen/ Images Press/ Getty Images)

In the ensuing years, Field has had an incredible career with roles in many high-budget Hollywood productions including Steel Magnolias, Mrs. Doubtfire, Smokey and the Bandit, Forrest Gump, and The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2. She also acted in a handful of Broadway productions including The Goat; or, Who Is Sylvia? and The Glass Menagerie. Throughout her career, she has won numerous awards – Emmys, Academy Awards, and Golden Globes.

Shocking revelations

Given the sheer number of films and shows Field has starred in, it’s no wonder that some of her on-screen romances left much to be desired. In response to the fan’s question on Andy Cohen’s show, Field said, “Oh boy. Shall I really name names here?” Egged on by Cohen, she confessed, “This is going to be a shocker. Hold on folks…” and proceeded to name Burt Reynolds, her co-star in Smokey and the Bandit.

The most shocking part of it all is that Reynolds was one of her exes. It is unclear whether Field was referencing an on-screen kiss from before they began their off-screen romance or something that happened while they were dating, but she did say that she “tried to look the other way” as kissing “just was not something he really did very well.” After Cohen pushed for more details, Field said that there was a lot of “drooling” involved on his end.

Sally and Burt

Despite being her worst on-screen kiss, Field clearly wasn’t that put off and the pair began a five-year relationship after meeting on the Smokey set. Although their romance was on-again, off-again throughout the late 1970s and early ’80s, Reynolds remembered it very fondly. Even as late as 2015, he thought that Field was the love of his life and said that she was “the perfect person.”

Burt Reynolds in a cowboy hat and Sally Field staring at each other in 'Smokey and the Bandit.'
Burt Reynolds and Sally Field in the film Smokey and the Bandit, 1977. (Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty Images)

Field apparently had a much different view of their relationship and hadn’t spoken to Reynolds for the last 30 years before his death. In her memoir In Pieces, she said that he was extremely controlling and that they were “a perfect match of flaws.” She went on to say in a later interview that “He was not someone I could be around. He was just not good for me in any way.”

More from us: No Love Lost: Co-Stars Who Did Not Want To Kiss Each Other

Despite the apparently toxic nature of their relationship and the newly divulged details about his inability to kiss well, Sally Field said that Burt Reynolds would “always be in my heart and my history.”

Rosemary Giles

Rosemary Giles is a history content writer with Hive Media. She received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and her master of arts degree in history from Western University. Her research focused on military, environmental, and Canadian history with a specific focus on the Second World War. As a student, she worked in a variety of research positions, including as an archivist. She also worked as a teaching assistant in the History Department.

Since completing her degrees, she has decided to take a step back from academia to focus her career on writing and sharing history in a more accessible way. With a passion for historical learning and historical education, her writing interests include social history, and war history, especially researching obscure facts about the Second World War. In her spare time, Rosemary enjoys spending time with her partner, her cats, and her horse, or sitting down to read a good book.

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