Editing Burt Reynolds (section)

===''The Godfather'' and Marlon Brando feud===
Reynolds was considered for the role of [[Sonny Corleone]] in ''[[The Godfather (film)|The Godfather]]'', but [[Francis Ford Coppola]]'s desire to cast [[James Caan]] in the part prevailed. There was talk that Reynolds's participation was vetoed by Marlon Brando, who had a lack of respect for him.<ref name="Esquire Brando Reynolds">{{cite web|last1=Nero|first1=Dom|title=Burt Reynolds Was Almost Michael Corleone in The Godfather—But Marlon Brando Stopped It|url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a29123657/burt-reynolds-marlon-brando-feud-the-godfather/|website=Esquire.com|date=September 19, 2019|publisher=Esquire Magazine|access-date=August 13, 2023|archive-date=August 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813183225/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a29123657/burt-reynolds-marlon-brando-feud-the-godfather/|url-status=live}}</ref> Brando denied that he played a role in thwarting the casting of Reynolds, saying in a January 1979 ''[[Playboy magazine|Playboy]]'' interview that Coppola would not have cast Reynolds in the part.

Reynolds later claimed that he declined the role of Sonny. (''The Godfather'' [[Movie producer|producer]] [[Albert S. Ruddy]] would produce ''[[The Cannonball Run (film)|The Cannonball Run]]'' and ''[[Cannonball Run II]]'', two Reynolds movie successes during the 1980s.)

The Brando-Reynolds feud became [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] legend. Reynolds said that he could not understand Brando's enmity toward him. In a 2015 interview with ''[[The Manchester Guardian|The Guardian]]'', Reynolds said, "He was a strange man. He didn't like me at all." He did not consciously imitate Brando, nor act like him, nor try to look like him; he even grew a mustache so that people would stop saying that he looked like Brando.<ref name="Guardian video">{{cite AV media|title=Burt Reynolds in conversation with the Guardian: 'Marlon Brando was a strange man' – archive video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBn9tQA6eEo|publisher=Guardian News|via=YouTube|access-date=August 13, 2023|archive-date=August 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813183046/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBn9tQA6eEo&gl=US&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

When he was finally introduced to Brando, Reynolds said that he told him that he was the finest actor in the world. Brando replied, "I wish I could say the same for you."<ref name= "Guardian video" />