The 80-year-old actor on being a pin-up, his fears about his friend Donald Trump and why he can’t stop speeding

Dad never told me he loved me. He was a military man and a chief of police and didn’t display his feelings. If I was in the room when one of my movies came on, he’d get up and walk out. At the end of his life he did finally tell me he was proud of me and I thought: “Yep, I’ll take that.”

I’ve always regretted posing naked for Cosmopolitan. People didn’t get that I had such a conceited look because I was sending myself up. It was just before Deliverance was released and it ruined the film’s Oscar chances.

Burt Reynolds, star of Deliverance and Boogie Nights, dies aged 82 Read more

Dumping a helicopter full of horse shit on the National Enquirer made me feel great. They’d been writing crap about me for years so I thought it was only fitting. One Christmas Eve my pilot and I loaded my helicopter with manure from my ranch, flew over the building and watched it cascade down their giant Christmas tree.

Being called a sex symbol has always made me cringe. When you have that label your IQ drops way down in people’s eyes. I thought someday I’d be so old it wouldn’t worry me. But it still follows me round.

There were rumours I had Aids in the 80s after I broke my jaw on a film and lost loads of weight. I was treated like a leper in Hollywood and it was the worst time of my life. I sure found out who my real friends were and I wasn’t surprised by those who turned out to be real arses.

My biggest regret is not staying with Dinah Shore, the love of my life. We were soulmates, but my career was on fire and my ego was out of control. I was stupid and I didn’t think it would work because of the age gap and I was wrong. To this day it makes me sad. I’ve never found anyone like her.

Marlon Brando was an unbelievable arsehole. He hated me because of my resemblance to a younger him. When we met at a party he was rude and accused me of capitalising on looking like him. So I promised him I wouldn’t get fat.

I’d love to have become Bette Davis’s fifth husband. We were great pals and there was a mutual romantic attraction. We were at a function once when a guy asked her if I was her new conquest in front of me. She slapped him so hard the whole room went silent.

There’s been an element of self-sabotage in my career. I turned down Bond, and Jack Nicholson’s role in Terms of Endearment. Boogie Nights revived my career, but I tried really hard not to do it. But as long as the laughter continues it’s great with me.

The image of me as a womanising tough guy has dogged me all my life and hurt me a lot. And I still haven’t figured out what makes women tick.

I was terrified that my friend Donald Trump would ask me to be part of his presidential campaign. I’d have said no. I’m afraid now that he’s president we could get involved in a war very quickly. There’s a part of him that is so much fun and so sweet, but he’s doing what I used to do – having a good time being arrogant. And he has so many hangers-on.

Speeding is something I’ve done all my life. I just got a ticket yesterday. I still like really fast cars, unless I’m with a beautiful lady, then I prefer something very slow and quiet.

But Enough About Me by Burt Reynolds with Jon Winokur is out now in paperback from Blink Publishing at £8.99. To order a copy for £7.37, go to bookshop.theguardian.com