{"id":2103227,"date":"2025-10-20T07:33:05","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T07:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2103227"},"modified":"2025-10-20T07:33:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T07:33:05","slug":"70s-icon-reveals-why-he-turned-down-leading-role-in-mash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/70s-icon-reveals-why-he-turned-down-leading-role-in-mash\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201870s Icon Reveals Why He Turned Down Leading Role in &#8216;M*A*S*H&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He was one of the biggest stars in the world, a &#8217;70s and &#8217;80s heartthrob known for his charismatic smile, devil-may-care attitude and luscious mustache. However, before he became a household name, he made a choice that could have altered his career path forever.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Recently resurfaced interviews reveal that legendary leading man<strong> Burt Reynolds<\/strong>, who died in September 2018 of a heart attack at the age of 82, was offered a starring role in <strong><em>M*A*S*H<\/em><\/strong>, the 1970 film that would become a cultural phenomenon, spawning one of the most successful TV shows in history. His decision to pass and the critical flop he starred in instead became a valuable, albeit painful, learning experience he later regretted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Reynolds, whose star was rapidly rising in Hollywood in the \u201870s, was the top choice for the part of the rebellious, wisecracking chest surgeon <strong>Trapper John McIntyre<\/strong>. Instead, Reynolds chose to star in a different film: an adventure movie called <strong><em>Skullduggery<\/em><\/strong>. The decision would prove to be a massive miscalculation.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Actors Burt Reynolds and Roger C. Carmel find a skull in a scene from the movie &#8220;Skullduggery&#8221; circa 1970.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">At the time, <em>Skullduggery<\/em> may have seemed like a more conventional star vehicle. A genre mash-up of a classic adventure film with courtroom drama undertones, it followed Reynolds&#8217; character on an expedition in New Guinea in which he comes across a tribe that holds the key to understanding the connection between apes and humans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">However, while <em>M*A*S*H<\/em> went on to become the third-highest-grossing film of its year, according to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cheatsheet.com\/news\/burt-reynolds-turned-starring-role-mash-critically-panned-flop.html\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:CheatSheet;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>CheatSheet<\/em><\/a> and a massive critical success, <em>Skullduggery<\/em> was a notorious critical and financial failure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Reynolds was quick to admit he had made a mistake, saying in a 1976 interview with Gene Siskel, which <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slashfilm.com\/1987496\/burt-reynolds-turned-down-mash-mcintyre-role-fantasy-movie-skullduggery\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:SlashFilm;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">SlashFilm<\/a><\/em> recently resurfaced, that while he originally liked the script, his chosen film turned out to be \u201cBadly directed\u201d and \u201ckind of sloughed off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He did not stop there, adding, \u201cSusan Clark was good; she&#8217;s a good actress. But nobody knew how to sell the picture. Any time you have Pat Suzuki dressed as a small ape, I think you&#8217;re in trouble.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">By contrast, it is nearly impossible to overstate just how big <em>M*A*S*H<\/em> was. Directed by Robert Altman, the film was a brilliant, cynical and deeply satirical piece of art set during the Korean War, which audiences at the time understood as a clear commentary on the ongoing war in Vietnam. It was a massive hit that perfectly captured the counter-culture zeitgeist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The role of Trapper John, which eventually went to <strong>Elliott Gould<\/strong> in the film and Wayne Rogers in the TV show, was a key part of the story&#8217;s beloved ensemble alongside <strong>Donald Sutherland&#8217;s<\/strong> Hawkeye Pierce, a role later popularized by Alan Alda in the TV version. The movie&#8217;s success led to the iconic long-running television series that made the character a household name for decades to come.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Passing on <em>M*A*S*H<\/em> was just one of several massive roles Reynolds famously turned down, a fact he spoke about repeatedly in interviews with his signature humor and honesty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Yeah, I would do some things different. But you can&#8217;t.&#8221; Reynolds reflected in a 2018 interview with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/movies\/2018\/03\/25\/burt-reynolds-interview-last-movie-star\/450802002\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:USA Today;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>USA Today<\/em><\/a>, before quipping, \u201cYou can only lie and say that you wouldn\u2019t do things differently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Among the other legendary roles he passed on were Michael Corleone in <em><strong>The Godfather<\/strong><\/em>, Han Solo in the <em><strong>Star Wars<\/strong><\/em> films and John McClane in <em><strong>Die Hard<\/strong><\/em>. He even turned down the chance to play James Bond, believing the public would not want an American in the role, which he told <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/books\/2015\/11\/17\/burt-reynolds-but-enough-about-me\/75882248\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:USA Today;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>USA Today<\/em><\/a>in 2015, \u201cwas a stupid thing to say.\u201d He continued confidently, \u201cI could&#8217;ve done it and I could&#8217;ve done it well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He also passed on the Oscar-winning role of Garrett Breedlove in 1983&#8217;s <em>Terms of Endearment<\/em>, which went to Jack Nicholson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I was a fool,&#8221; he bluntly told <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/movies\/burt-reynolds-biggest-regrets-his-own-words\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>People<\/em><\/a> in 2015, reflecting on that choice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Despite his regrets, Reynolds&#8217; career was nothing short of iconic. He ultimately found the role that cemented his superstardom just two years after <em>M*A*S*H<\/em> in 1972&#8217;s grueling thriller <strong><em>Deliverance<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">From there, he dominated the &#8217;70s and &#8217;80s with a string of massive box-office hits including <em>Smokey and the Bandit<\/em>, <em>The Longest Yard<\/em> and <em>Hooper<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While he may have regretted turning down <em>M*A*S*H<\/em>, among other career \u201cwhat ifs,\u201d Reynolds was able to keep the loss in perspective.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I&#8217;ve been very, very lucky through ups and downs,&#8221; he told <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/movies\/2018\/03\/25\/burt-reynolds-interview-last-movie-star\/450802002\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:USA Today;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>USA Today<\/em><\/a> in March 2018, just six months before his death. &#8220;When you crash and burn, you have to pick yourself up and go on&#8230; And I&#8217;ve had a good time through it all.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/70s-hollywood-icon-m-h-032236509.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Related: \u201870s Music Icon Who Sang 'M*A*S*H' Theme Dies at 93;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Related: \u201870s Music Icon Who Sang &#8216;M*A*S*H&#8217; Theme Dies at 93<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><i>This story was originally reported by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/parade.com\/news\/70s-icon-reveals-why-he-turned-down-leading-role-in-mash-in-resurfaced-interview\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Parade;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Parade<\/a> on Oct 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/parade.com\/news\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:News;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">News<\/a> section. Add Parade as a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=parade.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Preferred Source by clicking here.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He was one of the biggest stars in the world, a &#8217;70s and &#8217;80s heartthrob known for his charismatic smile, devil-may-care attitude and luscious mustache. However, before he became a household name, he made a choice that could have altered his career path forever. Recently resurfaced interviews reveal that legendary leading man Burt Reynolds, who [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2103228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[313833,359210],"class_list":["post-2103227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-burt-reynolds","tag-starring-role"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/\u201870s-Icon-Reveals-Why-He-Turned-Down-Leading-Role-in.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2103227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2103227"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2103227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2103229,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2103227\/revisions\/2103229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2103228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2103227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2103227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2103227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}