'He was not nice': Sally Field shares Burt Reynolds' reason for refusing to attend 1980 Oscars together

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Sally Field took home the biggest prize at the 52nd Academy Awards in 1980 when she was awarded her first Oscar for her leading performance in 'Norma Rae.'

However, the legendary 77-year-old actor—who went on to win a second Academy Award—revealed that her popularity on the red carpet turned into a major source of conflict with her boyfriend at the time, Burt Reynolds.

According to PEOPLE, the two-time Oscar-winning actress reveals in the soon-to-be-published book '50 Oscar Nights' that Reynolds was unable to cope with the attention she was getting for her breakthrough role in the 1979 film 'Norma Rae.'

Sally Field revealed Burt Reynolds was 'not a nice guy' at times in their relationship

Field reveals in Dave Karger's new book, '50 Oscar Nights,' which goes live on January 23, that the late 'Boogie Nights' star, who died in 2018 at the age of 82, declined to go to the Oscars ceremony with her.

Furthermore, Reynolds tried to talk the star out of going to other prestigious ceremonies during her 'Norma Rae' publicity campaign.

The actress portrayed a jealous Reynolds who was "not happy" with the critical acclaim she was receiving for 'Norma Rae.'

"He really was not a nice guy around me then," the 77-year-old actress admits. She claims that Reynolds "was not going to go" on their date in 1980 before the 52nd Academy Awards ceremony.

Hollywood heartthrob Reynolds and Field dated for five years in the late 1970s and early 1980s after meeting on the filming of the popular 1977 film 'Smokey and the Bandit.'

Known as one of the power couples of the time, they collaborated on four films until calling it quits in 1982, per the New York Post.

Reynolds appeared to be disapproving of Field's pivotal role in 'Norma Rae' that changed her career. Field states in '50 Oscar Nights,' "He did not want me to go to Cannes [Film Festival] at all. He said, ‘You don’t think you’re going to win anything, do you?’"

In the end, Field reveals, "When the Oscars came around, he really was not a nice guy around me then and was not going to go with me."

Actor and comedian David Steinberg, together with his spouse Judy at the time, stepped in to help the program in 1980 and helped Field celebrate her first Academy Award.

Regarding not having a date for the event, Field admits she "didn’t know what to do. Then David said, ‘Well, for God’s sakes, we’ll take you.’ He and Judy made it a big celebration. They picked me up in a limousine and had champagne in the car. They made it just wonderful fun."

Internet reacts to Sally Field's latest revelations about ex-Burt Reynolds

Following Sally Field's latest revelations on '50 Oscar Nights' about former late boyfriend Burt Reynolds, social media users took to the online platform Facebook to offer their divided views.

One Internet user supported the actress and said, "So glad she dumped him," and a second one added, "He wasn’t very nice to her as she was successful."

Another one added, "U just gotta love ms sally field," with another one adding, "It’s not hard to believe. Reynolds was an old school misogynist who thought he was God’s gift to women."

One more commented, "Burt Reynolds wept reading his account of his relationship with Sally in his final audio book....he has many regrets."

Several users refused to chime along with the Academy Award-winning actress, with one writing: "He's gone now leave him alone."

Another one noted, "Love how people open their mouths after the other people die! I don’t believe her she’s a liar! Should have said this when Burt was alive!"

"Just because she says it, doesn't make it so. Easy to talk about a dead man. He can't defend himself," wrote another one.

Burt Reynolds expressed he ought to have wed and raised a family with Sally Field

The breakup of the couple marked the beginning of Reynolds's terrible professional decline, which lasted until he was given another opportunity to shine as an actor in Paul Thomas Anderson's beloved 1997 film 'Boogie Nights.'

Before his death, Reynolds expressed his belief that Field was the person he ought to have tied the knot and raised a family with.

In the documentary 'I Am Burt Reynolds,' director Adam Rifkin of 'The Last Movie Star' claims that when Reynolds was questioned about the reason behind the breakup, the ladies' man only replied, "I screwed up."

Field went on to win a second Oscar in 1985 for the film 'Places in the Heart.' She was again nominated for a Supporting Actress award in 2012 for her role as Mary Todd Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's film 'Lincoln.'

Field revealed in her 2018 memoir, 'In Pieces,' that she severed ties with Reynolds a few years following their split and remained silent for the last 30 years of his life, per Daily Mail.

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