Why Burt Reynolds Made GTA: Vice City a Nightmare
Burt Reynolds’ difficult behaviour during Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’s production left a lasting mark on Rockstar Games, changing how they worked with Hollywood talent.
Big-name film stars can sometimes let their fame get the better of them, and Burt Reynolds was no exception. By the early ‘80s, his days as a top-billed actor were mostly behind him, but he still managed to make life tough for those around him. While not everyone found him hard to deal with, he had enough run-ins to earn a reputation that often arrived before he did. Known for speaking his mind, Reynolds clashed with plenty of directors, producers, and co-stars, and a few of those spats even turned physical. In his later years, he was mostly seen in straight-to-DVD flicks, TV specials, and the odd cameo. Still, most punters will remember him for classics like Smokey and the Bandit, Deliverance, and The Cannonball Run, rather than his less memorable gigs.
Hollywood Names Hit the Gaming World
As technology moved forward, a new money-spinner opened up for actors—video games. With better graphics and more characters, studios started splashing out on recognisable voices to help sell their games. Reynolds made his first appearance in the gaming world in 2002, voicing Avery Carrington in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The cast list was packed with stars like Dennis Hopper, Ray Liotta, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Danny Trejo, and Debbie Harry. But out of all of them, only Reynolds managed to cause a stir.
Dan Houser, one of Rockstar Games’ founders, later admitted that Reynolds’ attitude was a big reason the company stopped chasing Hollywood talent.
“I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, poor bugger,”
he said,
“But we don’t bring in name actors anymore because of their egos.”
Recording Booth Drama
During the recording sessions, director Navid Khonsari got a front-row seat to Reynolds’ more difficult side. When asked to redo a line, Reynolds refused unless he got some praise first.
“You know, you need to give people an ‘atta boy,”
he told Khonsari.
“People do something good, you gotta give them an ‘atta boy.”
Khonsari, a Rockstar veteran, played along and gave him the encouragement he wanted.
The studio was stiflingly hot, and Reynolds was sweating so much he needed a fresh shirt. His manager dashed out to buy one, and when Houser let him know it had arrived, Reynolds took offence.
“There’s going to be two hits here,”
he shot back.
“Me hitting you, and you hitting the floor!”
Houser was so fed up he nearly sacked Reynolds on the spot, but Khonsari managed to calm things down. Once the job was done, both were relieved to see the back of him.
“We got the performance,”
Khonsari told Houser.
“He’s a total cock, but let’s move on.”
Aftermath in the GTA Universe
Whether by chance or not, Avery Carrington did return in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. This time, though, the character didn’t get any lines and was quickly killed off—then eaten by a cannibal, just to top things off. Reynolds’ stint in the gaming world might have been brief, but it certainly left a mark on how Rockstar approached casting in the years that followed.