Sally Field, the cherished actress known for her charm both on and off screen, has made waves once again—this time not for a movie role, but for her candid honesty. At 78, the Oscar-winning star appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and looked back on a surprising moment in her career: kissing her former partner, Burt Reynolds, on screen.
When asked by a viewer to name her best and worst on-screen kisses, Field didn’t hesitate to praise Murphy’s Romance co-star James Garner as the best. As for the worst, after a brief pause, she revealed a surprising name: Burt Reynolds. Despite their passionate off-screen relationship, which began during the filming of Smokey and the Bandit in 1977, Field admitted their on-screen chemistry didn’t always click. “I tried to dismiss it at the time,” she said. “But he just wasn’t very good at it.” When Cohen joked about whether it was a “tongue issue,” she replied with a laugh: “Not totally involved—just a lot of drooling.”
The audience laughed, but Field’s comments echoed something deeper she’s shared in the past. In her memoir In Pieces and in interviews, she described the relationship as emotionally unhealthy. “He wasn’t someone I could be around,” she once said, explaining that Reynolds later romanticized their time together, believing she was more important to him than he initially realized. But to Field, the reality was simpler: “He wanted what he couldn’t have. And I wasn’t going to deal with that.”
Through all the fame and public attention, Field has always chosen to tell her truth—not with resentment, but with clear-eyed reflection. Now in her late seventies, she continues to inspire audiences with her grace, honesty, and humor. Her story is a reminder that even fairy tale romances can have flaws, and real strength comes from knowing your worth and moving forward.
Today, Sally Field shines not just as a legendary actress, but as a woman who has embraced her past and grown from it. Her true power lies not in the roles she played, but in the life she has lived beyond the spotlight.
