Sally Field Shares How Jack Nicholson Helped Her Bounce Back After Struggling for Auditions Post-‘The Flying Nun’
Two-time Oscar-winning actress Sally Field has expressed her discontent with her breakout role in The Flying Nun, but during a recent interview with People, she credited fellow Actors Studio alum Jack Nicholson for reviving her career.
After her stint on the ABC sitcom from 1967 to 1970, Field struggled to secure auditions. She noted, “I couldn’t get in a room to audition. I couldn’t get on the list. They thought they already knew what I was. ‘No, thanks. We don’t want any of that.’”
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Reflecting on that period, Field mentioned, “I had to say to myself that if I wasn’t where I wanted to be, I had to get better.” She acknowledged the entertainment industry can often feel “rotten” and “unfair,” but emphasized the importance of taking control of her own narrative, stating, “I felt if I wasn’t doing that, then I was just handing them all the power.”
The Forrest Gump star found new direction by studying at the renowned Actors Studio under founder Lee Strasberg, alongside actors like Nicholson. She believed her situation would improve only “when I’m good enough.”
Nicholson took notice of Field’s talent and advocated for her with casting director Dianne Crittenden and director Bob Rafelson, describing her as an “undiscovered talent.” This led to her first audition since her 1965 debut in Gidget for the film Stay Hungry, which starred Jeff Bridges and a young Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“So in some weird way, my theory was right,” Field remarked. “I worked at the Actors Studio for so long — and it was so hard — that Jack had seen it and the word spread.”
The 1976 film marked a pivotal moment in her career, setting the stage for her to become a leading movie star and ultimately land iconic roles in films such as Smokey and the Bandit, Norma Rae, and Places in the Heart.
