It’s rare to encounter a celebrity nowadays who hasn’t had work done, especially given the pressure that renowned women often face. It’s challenging to be a woman in Hollywood, but Sally Field has resisted most of the “rules” placed, even at 76.
We adore Sally Field’s performances in films such as Forrest Gump and Steel Magnolias. However, some of her best work is not on the screen but in her approach to combating ageism in her profession.
Sally Field, born in Pasadena, California, in 1946, rose to prominence initially in television shows such as Gidget and The Flying Nun.
The now 76-year-old celebrity rose to prominence as an actor and campaigner, transitioning to film shortly after leaving television.
She was in many classic films, including Smokey and the Bandit, Norma Rae, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Forrest Gump.
In February 2023, the actress earned the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, for which she gave a gracious acceptance speech about her outstanding and long career.
Field has already received two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Film Award nominations, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, two SAG Awards, including her most recent Life Achievement Award, and a Tony nomination in her career.
Field, a passionate activist, has been regarded as ageless and talented. Her SAG Achievement Award acceptance speech was humble and served to explain her complex acting career.
“I felt shy, careful, and hidden offstage.” But I never knew what I’d say or do onstage. I’d surprise myself. “I wasn’t looking for applause or attention, though it’s nice,” she admitted.
“For me, acting has always been about capturing those precious moments when I feel completely, utterly, and sometimes dangerously alive. The task has always been to figure out how to get there.”
Field, dressed in a stunning black gown and naturally gray hair, exuded beauty and grace.
“They opened up and revealed aspects of myself that I would not have known otherwise. I’ve spent my entire life working. There isn’t a day in almost 60 years that I don’t feel quietly thrilled to call myself an actor,” she added.
In 2016, Field spoke to NPR about her role, Doris Miller, an old, eccentric woman:
“I’m an old woman; 70 is old, and that’s fine. I’ve gathered strength behind my years; I’ve owned, earned, merited, and earned the right to have them. And I don’t like my neck or many other things, but it’s okay.”
This is not the first time Field has acknowledged natural aging in an interview. In an interview with Good Housekeeping in 2009, she discussed how she overcame the need to complete tasks during her career:
“When I see myself on TV, I think, ‘Oh, I wish that weren’t happening to my neck.’ And your face is collapsing, and your eyes are swollen.’ But then I see some of the women (who have had plastic surgery) who I thought were gorgeous when they were younger. Now I’m thinking, Oh, no! Don’t do that! And that appears to be a disservice to who they are now.”