Sally Field Reveals the One Type of Role She Refuses to Play: 'Life Is So Much More Complicated Than That'
Throughout her career, Sally Field has played several iconic roles on the big and small screens. Decades since she debuted as an actor, Field reveals there's one type of role that she won't jump at the opportunity to play.
In an interview with People, Field looked back at her career and getting her start as Gidget in 1965 and playing a nun in one of her most recognizable sitcoms,The Flying Nun. She later starred in 1976's Stay Hungry, followed by 1977's Smokey and the Bandit with Burt Reynolds. It wasn't until 1979 that Field had her big Hollywood break with her Oscar-winning role in Norma Rae.
The actor decided her career would be based on emotionally driven roles. When it comes to the type of on-screen characters she will play and storylines, she admits, "I never take to stories about women that are trying to find a man."
"I didn't like it then, and it doesn't appeal to me now, because I think women are about so much more. Life is so much more complicated than that," she explained.
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Looking at her filmography, there are a few outliers to the rule, like her 2015 role in Hello, My Name Is Doris. The coming-of-age romantic comedy stars Fields in the leading role as Doris Miller, a 60-something recluse who works in the city doing data entry. Doris's life was spent taking care of her mother before her death, and she's blind to social trends. When she meets a new, cute coworker, she becomes infatuated and decides to try to date him.
The film did well against tis $1 million budget, but it isn't the highlight of Field's stellar career. She won her second Oscar in 1984 for the film Places in the Heart, an American drama film set in Texas during the Great Depression. She would later be nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her standout role as First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln in the 2012 film Lincoln. Field has also won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Tony, and a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Field admits that her complicated childhood with her abusive stepfather pushed her to be "filled with rage." With the help of an acting coach, she channeled that rage into her acting, which has developed into a successful career.
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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 2:31 PM.