'They promised to burn the outtakes and give me the negatives': Burt Reynolds, 79, reveals how editors persuaded him to pose NAKED for 1972 Cosmopolitan centerfold

  • The 79-year-old actor dishes on the shoot in an excerpt from his upcoming book But Enough About Me, published on Cosmopolitan.com
  • He recalls how he was approached by Cosmo editor Helen Gurley Brown to do the shoot during an appearance on The Tonight Show

By Valerie Siebert For Dailymail.com

Published: 06:55 EST, 26 October 2015 | Updated: 07:05 EST, 26 October 2015

It's been over 43 years since Burt Reynolds posed for the now-famous Cosmopolitan centerfold, but the actor has only now revealed how and why he came to agree to pose for the infamous image.

In an excerpt from his upcoming autobiography But Enough About Me, which was published on Cosmopolitan.com, the 79-year-old recalls his anxiety about taking part in the photoshoot - and what transpired while it was taking place.

The story began when Burt filled in for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show shortly after finishing filming Deliverance 1972, where he met with Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown, who happened to be a guest that night.

Striking the pose: Burt Reynolds reveals details behind his infamous 1972 nude centerfold for Cosmopolitan in an excerpt from his upcoming book

Striking the pose: Burt Reynolds reveals details behind his infamous 1972 nude centerfold for Cosmopolitan in an excerpt from his upcoming book

Revealing all: The 79-year-old's book But Enough About Me, written with the help of editor Jon Winokur, is due to be released on November 17

Revealing all: The 79-year-old's book But Enough About Me, written with the help of editor Jon Winokur, is due to be released on November 17

'During a commercial break, she invited me to be the first male nude centerfold of the magazine,' Burt explains in his book.

'Although no one had ever shown a naked man in a magazine before, Helen believed women have the same "visual appetites" as men, who'd been looking at naked women in Playboy since 1953.'

Helen, says Burt, thought that he 'was the one man who could pull it off' - although he also reveals that he later discovered that she had first approached actor and director Paul Newman with the idea, and was turned down. 

According to Burt, he made things incredibly easy for Helen; unlike Paul, Burt admits that he was immediately 'intrigued' by the idea, and actually agreed to take part in the shoot before the show even went back on the air.

'The one man who could pull it off': Burt (pictured in 1972) was asked to do the shoot by Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown, though he later discovered that she had first asked Paul Newman and was turned down

'The one man who could pull it off': Burt (pictured in 1972) was asked to do the shoot by Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown, though he later discovered that she had first asked Paul Newman and was turned down

Helen Gurley Brown approached Burt during the filming of The Tonight Show in 1972
Photographer Francesco Scavullo was enlisted to take the photo

The brains: Helen Gurley Brown (left) approached Burt during the filming of The Tonight Show in 1972, and photographer Francesco Scavullo (right) was enlisted to take the photo

But while he may have felt confident in agreeing to the shoot, his bravado waned slightly when it came to the day itself - and he recalls drinking a quart of vodka to steady his nerves before arriving at the studio.   

There, he met with Francesco Scavullo - the renowned photographer who regularly did work for Cosmopolitan - and a bear skin rug.

The stripped-down Burt then went about posing in a lounging position on the rug with various props to protect his modesty, while seductively smoking cigarettes.   

'He took hundreds of shots: with a hat in front of my…tallywacker, with a dog in front of it, with my hand in front of it,' remembers Burt, adding: They promised to burn the outtakes and give me the negatives.'

The actor also had final say on which of the photos made the final cut, and eventually was spread across the magazine's centerfold. 

Telling his story: Burt reveals that he drank a quart of vodka on his way to the studio (pictured in August 2015)

Telling his story: Burt reveals that he drank a quart of vodka on his way to the studio (pictured in August 2015)

Jumpstarter: The issue was released just a few months before Burt's role in Deliverance, which launched him to stardom 

Jumpstarter: The issue was released just a few months before Burt's role in Deliverance, which launched him to stardom 

Classic looks: The centerfold, combined with Deliverance, made Burt one of the most popular stars of the year, and also inspired the launch of Playgirl magazine
Classic looks: The centerfold, combined with Deliverance, made Burt one of the most popular stars of the year, and also inspired the launch of Playgirl magazine

Classic looks: The centerfold, combined with Deliverance, made Burt one of the most popular stars of the year, and also inspired the launch of Playgirl magazine

The photo quickly became the In the words of editor Helen: 'He had been a movie star, now he was a celebrity.' 

The centerfold proved both a launching pad for Burt Reynolds, released just a few months before his career-making role in Deliverance hit big screens - as well as a game-changer for Cosmopolitan. All 1.5 million copies of the issue sold in a flash.

The photo also inspired Douglas Lambert to found Playgirl magazine, with the first issue being published on January 1973.

Burt's book But Enough About Me, written with the help of editor Jon Winokur, is due to be released on November 17. 

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