Sally Field credits Jack Nicholson for reviving her career after ‘The Flying Nun’ slump
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Sally Field recently opened up about one of the most difficult periods of her career, revealing the struggle to find work in Hollywood after starring in the 1967 sitcom 'The Flying Nun'.
Field also shared that the industry had already formed a fixed perception of her, leaving her unable to secure auditions for serious acting roles and forcing her to rebuild herself as an actress to change how Hollywood viewed her.
Jack Nicholson played a key role in reviving Sally Field’s Hollywood career
According to Field, it was Jack Nicholson who ultimately helped her break through the professional drought she experienced after her television fame. Reflecting on the period after ‘The Flying Nun’, Field told People she “couldn't get in a room to audition” or even “get on the list” because Hollywood had already decided "No, thanks. We don't want any of that.”
The two-time Oscar winner recalled coming up with a career mantra, saying, “I had to say to myself that if I wasn't where I wanted to be, I had to get better.” While acknowledging that Hollywood may be “rotten” and “unfair,” Field added, “it had to be that it was on me to make it different. I felt if I wasn't doing that, then I was just handing them all the power.”
Field said she began studying at the infamous Actors Studio in Los Angeles, where Nicholson was among the many “wonderful actors, really working actors” training with founder and coach Lee Strasberg. Recalling the atmosphere at the studio, she said, “Everybody used to come. It was packed. You couldn't get in.”
Training in performance techniques “constantly, as much as I possibly could,” Field recalled telling herself, “It will change when I'm good enough.” She added that “ultimately, in a weird way, it happened because I was acting at the studio so much.”
The 'Forrest Gump' star shared that it was Nicholson who noticed her working with Strasberg and recommended her as “an undiscovered talent” to late casting director Dianne Crittenden and director Bob Rafelson. Crittenden later called the actress in for a meeting for the Rafelson-directed comedy-drama 'Stay Hungry', which Field described as her first real “interview” since the 1965 sitcom 'Gidget'.
Sally Field reflects on legacy while looking toward future
Reflecting on her breakthrough, Field said, “So in some weird way, my theory was right,” explaining that she had worked at the Actors Studio for so long “and it was so hard” that Nicholson eventually noticed her dedication and “the word spread.”
Landing the role in 'Stay Hungry' opposite Jeff Bridges and then-newcomer Arnold Schwarzenegger, she said, “was the beginning of the change” toward a more meaningful career in Hollywood. The same year the film established her as a movie star, she also won an Emmy for the miniseries 'Sybil', which paved the way for projects including 'Smokey and the Bandit,' 'Norma Rae,' and 'Places in the Heart'.
Now with two Oscars, two Emmys, and a Tony nomination to her name, Field said she remains focused on continuing her work as an actress. Speaking about her career, she said simply, “[Acting] is what I do,” while revealing that she is expected to begin rehearsals for a play at the end of summer. “I still have my head down, and I'm always hoping to get better,” she added.
Field currently stars in 'Remarkably Bright Creature', adapted from Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel and now streaming on Netflix. The actress shared that she had championed the project ever since producer Bryan Unkeless gave her an early copy of the book before its publication. “I read four chapters and said, ‘Yes, we need to get this,’” she recalled.
According to Field, adapting the novel for the screen proved challenging because the filmmakers wanted to preserve the story’s emotional and uplifting essence. Referring to the screenplay co-written by John Whittington and director Olivia Newman, she described the book as “surprising and life-affirming,” adding that it serves as “an homage to life, to creatures, and the connection that human beings have to creatures."
