Burt Reynolds On Loving and Losing Sally Field: 'I Do Miss Her'

In Burt Reynolds‘ new memoir, But Enough About Me, the actor opens up the highs and lows of living his life in the spotlight – especially his love life. In the ’60s and ’70s, Reynolds was one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors, linked to numerous high-profile stars.

But it seems there’s one woman he just can’t seem to get over: Sally Field.

In his book, the actor, 72, revealed that he still misses Field, writing that one of his biggest regrets was not making their relationship work. And in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight Reynolds talked more about his feelings for the actress.

“I do miss her. I think she was one of the most underrated actresses, you know?” he said. “She was the best actress I ever worked with.”

Reynolds met Field, 69, on the set of their film Smokey and the Bandit in 1977 and swiftly began dating. They went on to star in four films together and dated for nearly five years before calling it quits.

Reynolds recently told PEOPLE that he “really adored” Field and said that their relationship “was real. She’s very, very, special.”

In the book he also opened up about his six-year marriage to actress Loni Anderson. According to Reynolds, Anderson’s spendthrift ways contributed to their demise.

“She liked to spend money,” he told ET. “I really couldn’t afford her.”

In fact, he told PEOPLE that marrying Anderson was a mistake. “I should have known that you don’t marry an actress.”

“That was a really dumb move on my part,” he added.

But Reynolds said despite facing heartache in both relationships, the lowest period in his life came after rumors began swirling that he was “dying of AIDS” after he lost a noticeable amount of weight. In his memoir, Reynolds explained that his weight loss was not due to AIDS, but an addiction to prescription pain killers.

The actor said it was his career that pulled him out of the dark times.

“I just kept working,” Reynolds told ET. “I thought the only way to make these rumors go away is to keep working… it really was an awful period.”

Now with his past behind him, the actor is focused on leaving a positive legacy behind. He said he wants people to remember him for his professionalism and as a person who “tried really hard to be a good guy.”