Burt Reynolds made his first appearance at a Comic Con convention over the weekend when the 79-year-old iconic Oscar-nominated actor participated in Philadelphia's Wizard World.
Reynolds looked frail and used a cane as he took the stage at the Philadelphia Convention Center to participate in a
question-and-answer session with fans, the Daily Mail reported.
"Burt sparked laughter among the crowd as he mocked rumors of a rivalry with late actor Marlon Brando, and also ignited applause as he declared 'Deliverance' the favorite of his movies," the U.K. newspaper noted, adding that the audience asked him lots of questions about his long career. "The Hollywood actor arrived at the event looking dapper, wearing a black velvet blazer over a matching button-down shirt and trousers, while he donned polished leather shoes."
In press lead-up to his Comic Con appearance, Reynolds revealed that "Star Wars" director George Lucas originally approached him about starring as Han Solo, a role that eventually went to Harrison Ford.
"I saw the director, and we talked about it, but I wasn't really enthusiastic about it," the actor said in an
advanced interview, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. "The thing is, it's hard to see what somebody's vision is for a thing like that. And I just didn't really see it. Maybe I should have, but I didn't."
Reynolds —who began his career as a film sex symbol starring in such movies as "The Longest Yard" and "Smoky and the Bandit" before earning an Academy Award nomination for 1997's "Boogie Nights" —
told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he participated in Comic Con because of the fans.
"I haven't done this before," he said. "I think it's a good time to find out what it's all about. I always enjoy talking to fans and I'm usually very pleased with their curiosity about my career, what I'm doing, what I'm not doing, and why I'm not doing more."
The Daily Mail wrote that doctors performed a quintuple heart bypass surgery on Reynolds in 2010, a year after he entered rehab for an addiction to painkillers. The actor was also hospitalized for influenza in 2013, which required him to spend time in intensive care.