Sally Field reveals how castmates including Dolly Parton helped Julia Roberts as she was 'picked on' by 'Steel Magnolias' director

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Sally Field recently said she and other stars of ‘Steel Magnolias’ “would all rally around” Julia Roberts as the then relatively newcomer star was “picked on” by the film’s director, the late Herbert Ross.

During a recent interview with Vulture, the 77-year-old actress opened up about their experiences on the sets of 1989’s ‘Steel Magnolias’ where she shared the screen with other stars like Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, and Olympia Dukakis, per People.

Sally Field shares on-set memories with Julia Roberts

While the film’s cast looked formidable onscreen, off the camera, they would look after Julia Roberts even after the camera stopped rolling.

During the interview, the two-time Oscar-winning actress said that while the late director “pretty much” gave her the “freedom to do whatever," he was "very, very, very hard on Julia.”

Nevertheless, Roberts had a number of women to fall back on, as Fields said, “We would all rally around Julia, because she was the baby.”

She explained, “She was sort of the newcomer. And she was wonderful, and he just picked on her,” before remarking, “It was awful.”

She further explained why she thought Roberts was subjected to such behavior, as she added, “He could be a real son of a b***h, that’s why. [Laughs],” and added ruefully, "Some people just need to have somebody they pick on."

She further shared how she and Parton would come to Roberts’ rescue. “But we all came to her aid,” she said and added an anecdote.

She continued, “I remember Dolly once just turned on him — always with humor, but usually the most vulgar humor you ever heard so that it was like, you just literally don’t have a leg to stand on.”

Nevertheless, she shared that Ross treated her in a widely different manner “because he dared not.” 

“I mean, I don’t mind notes, but I will argue if it doesn’t make sense to me,” Field shared candidly before adding, “But if you’re gonna be mean to me, then you’re gonna find a warrior. I may be small, but you don’t want to do that.”

Shirley MacLaine knew from the beginning Julia Roberts would become a 'huge star'

At the 30th anniversary of 'Steel Magnolias' in 2019, Shirley MacLaine - who played Louisa "Ouiser" Boudreaux in the film, said that she knew Roberts would be a "huge star" from the second she met her. 

MacLaine recalled to People, “We were rehearsing on a soundstage, I can’t remember where, and she walks in."

She went on to gush, “And the way she walked into the room and sat down and said hello ... I got up from the table and called my agent before we even started to rehearse."

"I said, ‘There’s a woman here and she’s going to be a huge star. You should handle her,’ I told him. She was amazing," she continued before adding, "The energy that she had just walking into the sound stage.”