Sally Field Turned Down A Classic Movie Because She Felt 'There's More' For Older Women To Say

Sally Field has been acting for more than six decades, and in that time, she's learned a thing or two about the industry. The "Steel Magnolias" star is an Oscar winner — one whose famous 1985 Academy Awards speech still gets repeated today (to Field's annoyance) — with roles in many iconic films we love watching with friends like "Forrest Gump," "The Amazing Spider-Man," and "Mrs. Doubtfire." One of the biggest lessons she's learned in her career is to stick up for herself and the roles she chooses, which included turning down a classic movie because she didn't like how the character was written.

In an April 2026, interview with Parade, the Oscar-winner said she believes "there's more" for older women to say than storylines involving romance. Field confirmed that she turned down a role in the 1996 movie, "The First Wives Club," starring Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Maggie Smith, and Sarah Jessica Parker. "I loved all of those actors, but I have always had a problem with older women either wanting to get a date or looking to like, you know, have more sex with their husband," she explained. "Or I just feel like there's more for women to say, so that was just never my cup of tea."

Field has previously shared similar sentiments in a March 2024, interview with AARP. She explained that women already have fewer interesting roles available to them than men have, and even those dry up as they age. "And it's usually women who are looking for a man," she told the outlet. "There are so many other stories you could have told."

This isn't the first time Sally Field has talked about the challenges as a woman in Hollywood. In a March 2016 interview with Bustle, the "Hello My Name Is Doris" star said about acting, "Women, like they have to do in every arena, in every field, have to be so much better than the next guy. They just can't let anything slip between the cracks." She certainly worked hard to cultivate a career to be proud of, and she isn't giving up. 

Field keeps continuing to push herself as she looks forward to turning 80 years old on November 6, 2026. In her interview with Parade, Field shared her thoughts on the future. "What can I do that I've never been before? What will there be for that 80-year-old actor that I didn't have as a 50-year-old actor or 40 or 30 or 20 or 17?" she said. "So it's always a journey. But I'm grateful to be on it." And we're grateful to have her!