Terms of Endearment SECRETS FROM THE SET

THE CELEBRATED TEARJERKER GREW OUT OF A PRODUCTION FILLED WITH CHAOS, RIVALRY AND HIJINKS

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There are no awards in Hollywood for being an idiot,” quipped Burt Reynolds, who regretted turning down the role of retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove in 1983’s Terms of Endearment. It’s likely Burt wasn’t alone in his remorse: Paul Newman, James Garner and Harrison Ford were also said to have passed on the part, which won Jack Nicholson an Oscar.

Based on the 1975 Larry McMurtry novel, Terms of Endearment follows the complicated 30-year relationship between a mother and daughter. The film became a box-office powerhouse and entered the 58th Academy Awards with 11 nominations and won five. “I won an Oscar for it, and the role was great,” said Shirley MacLaine, 88, who brought controlling matriarch Aurora Greenway to vivid life. “But working with Jack Nicholson was crazy. And Debra Winger? Change the subject, please.”