Nowadays, it’s uncommon to find a celebrity who hasn’t had work done, particularly given the amount of pressure renowned women frequently face. It’s challenging to be a woman in Hollywood, but Sally Field has broken most of the “rules” set in place, even at the age of 76.
We adore Sally Field’s roles in movies such as Steel Magnolias and Forrest Gump. However, her personal attitude to combating ageism in her career is some of our favorite work from her, rather than anything that can be seen on television.
Sally Field, a California native born in 1946, originally became well-known for her roles in television shows including Gidget and The Flying Nun.
The now 76-year-old actress quickly made the transition from television to the big screen, establishing herself as an accomplished actress and campaigner.
She acted in many classic movies, such as Mrs. Doubtfire, Forrest Gump, Norma Rae, and Sweetheart and the Bandit.
The actress spoke eloquently about her remarkable and illustrious career when she accepted the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2023.
Throughout her career, Field has already received a long list of honors, including two Academy Awards, two nominations for BAFTA Film Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, two SAG Awards—including her most recent Life Achievement Award—and a Tony nomination.
Field, a strong advocate, is frequently praised for her brilliance and agelessness. Her modest SAG Achievement Award speech did a good job of explaining her convoluted acting background.
“Away from the stage, I felt guarded, bashful, and concealed. However, I was never sure what I would say or do on stage. I would be shocked by myself. Though it’s lovely, I wasn’t searching for the praise or attention,” she said. Finding those rare, priceless moments when I feel completely, thoroughly, sometimes dangerously alive has always been the goal of acting, for me. The challenge has always been to figure out how to get there.
Field was flawlessly elegant, wearing a stunning black dress and her hair falling naturally gray.
“They let me see aspects of myself that I would not have otherwise known.” My entire life, I have worked. I am quietly happy to call myself an actor, and I have done so for almost sixty years,” she said.
When Field portrayed the elderly, eccentric Doris Miller in 2016, she talked to NPR about the role:
“I accept that I am an old woman—70 is ancient. I have accumulated strength throughout the years; I own them, I deserve them, I earned them, and I have the right to possess them. In addition, I dislike a lot of things, including my neck, but it’s all good.
Field has talked about the concept of aging organically in interviews before. In a 2009 interview with Good Housekeeping, she described how, throughout her career, she overcame the need to finish her work:
“Oh, I wish that weren’t happening to my neck,” I think to myself when I watch myself on TV. Additionally, your eyes are really swollen, and your face is falling apart. However, after having plastic surgery, I see some of the women who I thought were so gorgeous when they were younger. I’m thinking now, Oh no, please don’t do that! Furthermore, it appears to be quite demeaning to their current selves.
We believe that Sally Field is stunning at any age, particularly since she hasn’t changed! How do you feel about her decision to remain natural?
