Field was instantly smitten with Reynolds when they met, and he seemed to share the sentiment.

They stay alive, even forty years later.

My years with Burt never leave my mind.

Sally Field grinning at SAG awards

He will be in my history and my heart, for as long as I live."

In Dave Karger’s book"50 Oscar Nights,“Field revealed why they ultimately split up.

I was pretty wild.”

Burt Reynolds and Sally Field talking in Smokey and the Bandit

Wishing he had done things differently, he admitted, “It was real.

I really cared for her.

She’s very, very special.”

Burt Reynolds and Sally Field looking concerned in a scene from Smokey and the Bandit

She explained that his approach was because his own father was rather cold to him.

Despite his marriage to Anderson,Reynolds loved Field for decades after their split.

Looking back, he remarked, “I screwed up.”

She admitted thatshe hated locking lips with Reynolds.

In September 2018, Field toldCloser Weeklyabout their relationship’s downward spiral.

[But] that was terrible because what happened is that I stopped existing.