There he is! Burt Reynolds made a rare public appearance at the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, April 22, to promote his new movie Dog Years.
Hollywood icons Robert De Niro and Chevy Chase assisted the Smokey and the Bandit actor, 81, down the red carpet toward a chair. At times, Reynolds, who uses a cane, struggled to walk, USA Today reported.
“Great to see Mr. De Niro, who I love, and .. you know, all the people that I know,” Reynolds, clad in a black suit and a baby blue silk shirt, said after taking a seat. “It’s very sweet.”
In Dog Years, the Oscar nominee plays an aging movie star named Vic Edwards who comes to the realization that his glory days are behind him as he mourns the loss of his dog. “I guess I’m doing all right, I think, because it’s a hell of a turnout,” he joked at the film festival, pointing out how the film parallels his own life.
Reynolds also joked about working with younger costars Ariel Winter and Nikki Blonsky. “You don’t learn from young actors,” he said. “You just tell them how to behave.”
The Deliverance actor underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2009, the same year he went to rehab for a prescription drug addiction.
Dog Years is now in theaters.
