What You Need To Know About Melanie Field Before She Stars In A League Of Their Own
Amazon's new series is a reboot of the iconic 1992 film "A League of Their Own," which tells the story of female baseball players paving the way for gender equity in sports in the 1940s. The show was co-created by "Broad City" alum Abbi Jacobson and is expected to premiere in 2022.
The cast includes titans of stage and screen, as well as a crop of new faces who are sure to make their marks on the story's incredible legacy. Melanie Field will star as Jo, who Deadline described in the show's press release as "a Brooklyn native who plays third base for the Rockford Peaches." The character "has a larger-than-life personality, a sarcastic sense of humor, and isn't afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what's right." Jo is also close friends with Greta, played by "The Good Place" star D'Arcy Carden.
Before her big on-screen break, Field graduated from acting programs at NYU and Yale School of Drama and appeared on Broadway in "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Evita" (via Broadway World).
She's an advocate for body acceptance
Though Melanie Field is a relatively new face on TV, she's no stranger to the world of reboots; she made her big splash in the TV reboot of the iconic 1988 film "Heathers" as its villain, Heather Chandler. However, the series was short-lived due to Paramount Network's uneasiness with its subject matter following 2018's Parkland shooting. "The combination of a high school show with these very dark moments didn't feel right," according to the network's president, Keith Cox (via The Hollywood Reporter). But this setback didn't stop Field from landing recurring roles in Netflix's hit show "You" and Aidy Bryant's Hulu series, "Shrill." Fields also nabbed a leading role as Kaitlyn on the sitcom "Florida Girls," a show developed by Pop TV, the network that premiered sleeper hit "Schitt's Creek."
She's now making her way as an actress, activist, and mental health advocate, and even posted a music video on Instagram that tells her story of body acceptance. In the video's caption, she wrote that her song "Now I Know" is "the story of some of the most difficult experiences of my life." She added, "But it is equally a celebration of unconditional self-love. It is a rallying cry for body liberation and an indictment of fatphobia in all its forms."
The multi-talented actress is clearly ready to promote an inclusive message on body acceptance and fight for positive representations both on-screen and off.