Burt Reynolds appeared frail and struggled to walk down the red carpet as he did press for his new movie on Saturday (22Apr17).
The 81-year-old Hollywood veteran attended the Tribeca Film Festival to promote his new drama Dog Years, alongside co-stars Chevy Chase, Ariel Winter and festival founder Robert De Niro.
Reynolds, who was using a walking cane, struggled so much at the event that at one point he needed to be given a stool to sit on while being interviewed by reporters and taking photos with the cast.
However, the Deliverance star brushed off his frailty and instead gushed about his fellow stars. "Great to see Mr. De Niro, who I love, and... you know, all the people that I know,” he told the Associated Press. “It’s very sweet.”
Wearing a pair of orange-tinted glasses, a blue shirt and a black suit, Reynolds smiled as he leaned on his 19-year-old co-star Winter for support. The Modern Family actress held tenderly onto the Hollywood veteran's arm as he stood, while De Niro sweetly put an arm around his ageing friend.
It was a rare public appearance for Reynolds, whose last public appearance came when he was promoting his memoir, But Enough About Me, in April last year (16). He also underwent a heart bypass operation in 2010.
Dog Years follows the story of ageing movie star Vic Edwards, played by Reynolds, who realises his glory days are firmly behind him. When asked if the movie reflects his own life, Burt laughed as he told reporters on Saturday, "I guess I’m doing all right, I think, because it’s a hell of a turnout."
Dog Years is in cinemas now.
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