In Hollywood, many famous women feel pressured to change their appearance through plastic surgery. But Sally Field, even at 76, has stood firm against that pressure.
You might know Sally Field from movies like Forrest Gump and Steel Magnolias. But her real strength is in how she fights against ageism in Hollywood.
Sally Field was born in 1946 in Pasadena, California. She became famous for her roles in TV shows like Gidget and The Flying Nun.
Sally Field, now 76, became famous as both an actor and an advocate. After TV, she moved into movies.
You might remember her from classics like Smokey and the Bandit, Norma Rae, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Forrest Gump.
In February 2023, she got the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. She gave a lovely speech about her long career.
Over the years, Field has won two Academy Awards, got two BAFTA Film Award nominations, won three Primetime Emmy Awards, got two Golden Globes, two SAG Awards, and recently, the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award. She also got a Tony nomination.
She’s not just an actor; she’s also a passionate activist. People see her as ageless and talented. Her speech for the SAG Achievement Award was down-to-earth and explained her journey in acting.
“I used to feel shy and hidden offstage,” she shared, “but once I got on stage, I surprised myself. I wasn’t seeking applause or attention, though it’s nice,” she admitted.
“For me, acting has always been about those precious moments when I feel completely alive. The task has always been to figure out how to get there.”
Field, wearing a beautiful black gown and her natural gray hair, looked stunning and graceful.
“Acting opened up and revealed aspects of myself that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. I’ve spent almost 60 years working, and there isn’t a day I don’t feel thrilled to call myself an actor,” she added.
In 2016, Field talked to NPR about her role as Doris Miller, an old, eccentric woman:
“I’m an old woman; 70 is old, and that’s fine. I’ve earned the right to have them. And I don’t like my neck or many other things, but it’s okay.”
This isn’t the first time Sally Field has talked about embracing natural aging. In a 2009 interview with Good Housekeeping, she talked about how she’s changed her views over the years:
“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.”