May 25, 2005 7:01 am US/Eastern
Burt Reynolds Slaps CBS Producer
Actor Was Attending New York Premiere Of 'The Longest Yard'
CBS NewsPath is a unit of Viacom Inc., as is this web site.
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Actor Burt Reynolds slapped a CBS assistant producer in the face at a movie premiere in New York City.
The producer was asking Reynolds, 69, about his new movie "The Longest Yard" outside the premiere in the Chelsea section of Manhattan Tuesday night when the actor became annoyed, WCBS-TV reported.
"You don't know anything about the movie?" Reynolds asked.
The producer acknowledged he hadn't seen it or the original 1974 version. Reynolds then slapped the producer. "What ... kind of guy are you?" he asked.
WCBS-TV aired footage of the incident during its Wednesday morning newscast.
Jeff Lane, a spokesman for Reynolds, said in a statement that Reynolds "playfully tapped (the producer) on the cheek, as if to say, 'Well, that's not very nice.' He was kidding."
At the end of the movie actor Adam Sandler and other stars left throught the theater's front door, there was no sign of Burt Reynolds.
The producer works for CBS NewsPath, which provides video footage to affiliate stations.
(© 2005 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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