Burt Reynolds knows it’s nice to work close to home.

And “Burn Notice” is letting him do it. The iconic actor-director has resided in Florida for many years, making it convenient for him to guest on the USA Network espionage series Thursday. Reynolds’ part smartly pays homage to both the show and his image: a former intelligence agent who’s like central character Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) in many ways.

As ex-CIA man Paul Anderson, Reynolds even has such lines as “You remind me of me” as Westen tries to deliver him safely into government protection while a well-armed Russian black-ops team chases them. The new partners certainly take chances, since there’s also the matter of their safecracking expedition to retrieve a file that exposes a corrupt politician.

“When they approached me about this, I was very happy,” Reynolds reflects, “but I forgot how hard you work on those shows. The hours were unbelievable, but I really was very fond of both those guys” – the “guys” being Donovan and series co-star Bruce Campbell, who plays Sam Axe, Westen’s pal and frequent resource for spy information.

Reynolds has many scenes with them, and he says they were “incredibly respectful. I was very touched by that. Maybe it’s because I’m old, but they were very sweet, and I had a lot of fun with them. They like to horse around a little; you’ll die in that heat if you don’t have a laugh or two.”

While holding true to the spirit of “Burn Notice,” Reynolds’ character also pays homage to his past roles in action movies from “Operation C.I.A.” to “Malone.” Reynolds agrees Paul is Michael’s older mirror image in the world of “Burn Notice” ... and he confirms he “would have wanted a shot” at the part of Michael, were it a different time.

“I like the writing on the show,” he adds. “It’s a little off-center. Everybody’s not perfect. … They wrote a lot of stuff in for me, and I was very grateful.”

As he aims to put together a new movie project, the performer whose box-office hits include “Smokey and the Bandit” and “The Cannonball Run” is continuing his other interests.

The Burt Reynolds & Friends Museum in Jupiter, Fla., has a related Institute for Film & Theatre where Reynolds reports he’s “teaching acting with all these wonderful people. The graduation show went well, and we’re staging ‘The Fantasticks,’ so all of that keeps me busy.”

An Emmy winner for the sitcom “Evening Shade,” Reynolds notes he’s being sought to appear on the new A&E Network series “The Glades” – which also is being filmed on location in Florida – and more “Burn Notice” may be in his future, too.

“They could bring the character back if they want to,” he says, “but I left there so exhausted, I said, ‘Just don’t make it next month.’ ”