Burt Reynolds Turned Down Roles in ‘Star Wars’ and ‘James Bond’

Fans are celebrating Burt Reynolds‘ storied career in the wake of his recent passing, and it sounds like the actor’s filmography almost included a few iconic franchises.

In a previous interview with Mirror, Reynolds spoke about some of the roles he passed on, including Han Solo in Star Wars, Batman in the 1960s television show, and James Bond.

“I don’t think there’s any actor who doesn’t think he’s made bad career choices,” Reynold said in that interview. “I was recently with my friend Clint Eastwood, who’s had one of the most successful careers of all. We were laughing about the mistakes we made and he talked about a couple of films he wished he hadn’t made. I have a lot more than that! You learn from it though – you learn to be a better actor.”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time – but now I think it was really stupid. But you can’t regret things like that, you have to move on,” Reynolds said.

News of Reynolds’ death broke on Thursday afternoon, with some outlets reporting that the 82-year-old had died of a heart attack. The official cause of death has not been released at this time.

Reynolds began taking over as one of Hollywood’s top leading men in the late 1970s, when he became the number one box-office attraction for five consecutive years. The actor became well known amongst audiences for his fun-loving, good-ol’-boy roles. His filmography includes Deliverance, Smokey and the Bandit, Cannonball Run, and Boogie Nights.

He was nominated for an Oscar in 1997, for his portrayal of porn director Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights. While Reynolds ended up losing the award to Good Will Hunting‘s Robin Williams, he did take home a Golden Globe.

Even in his older years, Reynolds continued his work in both film and television. The actor recently appeared in the indie film The Last Movie Star, which told the story of an aging acting legend. Reynolds was expected to apprear Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie, but did not shoot his role yet. That film is scheduled to be released in 2019.

He is survived by his son, Quenton, whom he adopted with ex-wife Loni Anderson, when he was three days old.