May 7, 2026 7:44pm PT

Sally Field Remembers How ‘Norma Rae’ Was the Beginning of the End of Her Relationship With Burt Reynolds: ‘He Threw the Script at Me’

Pat Saperstein

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Pat Saperstein

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@Variety_PatS

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It was nearly 50 years ago, but Sally Field still remembers when she realized her relationship with Burt Reynolds was coming to a close. Field, who is starring in Netflix’s “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” discussed how the late “Cannonball Run” star became overly controlling when he didn’t approve of the subject matter of the drama “Norma Rae,” for which she won the best actress Oscar.

“It was the beginning of me pulling away when he didn’t want me to do ‘Norma Rae’, called her a whore, and it was because she had some sexual past. He threw the script at me,” Field told People magazine. “He wanted to control me, and because I was standing up, he said, ‘Boy, you’re letting this get the better of you.’ And I said, ‘This is the better of me.’ And I went and I met with [director] Marty Ritt. I did the film. But it was the beginning of me finding my legs.”

Sally Field Remembers How 'Norma Rae' Was the Beginning of the End of Her Relationship With Burt Reynolds: 'He Threw the Script at Me'