Burt Reynolds after he posed naked in the April 1972 issue of "Cosmopolitan". Reynolds said he did it for "a kick. I have a strange sense of humor" and because he knew he had "Deliverance" coming out. He later expressed regret for posing for Cosmopolitan. "Deliverance" was a huge commercial and critical success and, along with the talk show appearances, helped establish Reynolds as a star. "The night of the Academy Awards, I counted a half-dozen Burt Reynolds jokes," he later said. "I had become a household name, the most talked-about star at the award show." He was then in "Fuzz" (1972),
Ned Beatty was cast by Richard Donner to portray Lex Luthor's inept henchman Otis in "Superman: The Movie" (1978), as he would in the 1980 sequel, where we see his character being left behind in prison. He received a second nomination for Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for the television series "Friendly Fire" (1979). In 1979, he was seen in "Wise Blood", directed by John Huston, and "1941", directed by Steven Spielberg. In 1980, Beatty appeared in Ronald Neame's 1980 American film "Hopscotch" (1980) with Walter Matthau. In 1981, Beatty appeared in the comedy/science fiction