Tatum O'Neal Says Richard Burton Propositioned Her as a Teen as They Costarred inCircle of Two

Mar. 15, 2025

Tatum O’Neal and Richard Burton in “Circle of Two” (left), Tatum O’Neal today.Photo:Derek Hudson / Getty; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Derek Hudson / Getty; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Tatum O’Nealhad many uncomfortable experiences growing up in the spotlight.

In a sitdown withVarietyfor the Feb. 26 issue, O’Neal looked back at her time filmingCircle of Two(later titledObsession) withRichard Burton. The 1980 film told the story of a 15-year-old falling for a 60-year-old artist.

“He was brilliant — and the movie we did was terrible," O’Neal told the outlet.

Recognizing the film wouldn’t be made today, O’Neal shared she was “horrified” at having a topless scene with her 54-year-old costar while she was just 16.

O’Neal claims that Burton, who struggled withalcoholism, offered the teen a drink and tried to proposition her, asking, “Would you like to have a kiss?”

“‘Yikes’ is the right word. I loved Richard Burton, but I was like, ‘Nah, I ain’t going to do that,’ " O’Neal says of the uncomfortable situation.

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Tatum O’Neal.Jesse Grant/Getty

Jesse Grant/Getty

In a 2019 sitdown that revisited a 1980 conversation withInterview, O’Neal fondly remembered Burton, noting, “I could fill your whole magazine with Richard Burton stories.”

“He was only allowed to drink red wine on the movie because his liver was talking to him. He died about a couple of years later, and they didn’t f—— invite me to his funeral.”

O’Neal starred alongside her fatherRyan O’Nealin 1973’sPaper Moonand won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, making her the youngest person to win at just 10 years old. She had previously documented her challenging relationship with her father in her 2004 biographyA Paper Life.

Despite a challenging relationship and being estranged for decades, Tatum and her father began their journey toward reconciliation in 2008 after Ryan’s then-partnerFarrah Fawcettwas diagnosed with cancer.

Ryandied on Dec. 8, 2023after being diagnosed with chronic leukemia in 2001 and with prostate cancer in 2012.

source: people.com