A look back at the actor’s 1972 Penthouse interview.

The death of Burt Reynolds on September 6 marked the end of an era, not only in American film but American masculinity. Since then, countless tributes have commemorated the actor’s legacy, but we decided to go back — way back — to the interview Reynolds did for this magazine in 1972, conducted by radio personality Fred Robbins, a close friend of the actor. At the time, Reynolds was appearing in the play The Rainmaker, and Deliverance had just hit theaters (though here there’s hardly mention of the film, which became a huge hit, and is still considered one of the best action movies of all time). Reynolds had also been guest hosting The Tonight Show for Johnny Carson, and, most notably, Cosmopolitan just... Read More