Burt Reynolds turned down the roles of Han Solo, James Bond, and John McClane throughout his incredibly long career because he believed none of those characters fit his specific brand of macho cinematic charm.

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Burt Reynolds turned down the roles of Han Solo, James Bond, and John McClane throughout his incredibly long career because he believed none of those characters fit his specific brand of macho cinematic charm. He later admitted in several interviews that his arrogant rejections cost him a chance at immortal cinematic legacy, resigning him to a career mostly remembered for driving a Trans Am and having a magnificent mustache. While Harrison Ford and Bruce Willis were busy becoming global superstars and defining modern action cinema, Reynolds was making deeply forgettable buddy comedies that currently play on obscure cable channels at three in the afternoon. It is the ultimate cautionary tale about actors believing their own hype and severely underestimating the lasting cultural impact of fighting terrorists in an undershirt or shooting Greedo under a cantina table