Sally Field is the kind of actress that might seem like she plays the same role over and over but that’s not entirely true. She might play different roles in the same manner but at the very least she’s interesting when she switches gears between one character and another. She has more than enough range to be one of the best actresses around, and besides being an award-winning actress she’s also been one of the most overlooked at times. Those who saw her in Smokey and the Bandit and in Norma Rae most likely remember her quite well, but for the young generations she’s harder to recall.
Despite that she’s still an A-lister no matter what anyone says. Here are our picks for the top five Sally Field roles in movies:
5. Forrest Gump-Mrs. Gump
Mrs. Gump couldn’t rightly be called mean but she wanted things the way they were supposed to go and she wanted her son to be treated just like everyone else. Of course Forrest was different, if we were all the same then the world would be a boring place. She was the kind of mom you’d want watching over you no matter how old you were, if only because you knew she cared with every fiber in her being.
4. Smokey and the Bandit-Carrie
Burt Reynolds was the biggest reason she got this role and it’s because he was enamored of her for a while, or so it’s rumored. In fact Sally Field played Reynolds’ girlfriend in this movie and the next one, as well as a couple of other films that starred the two of them. She was for a long time the pretty-faced girl next door type that was sought after by a lot of directors.
3. Norma Rae-Norma Rae Webster
This movie was actually based on a real-life account and was all about unionizing a textile mill that was being too hard on its workers. Norma Rae wasn’t the ideal person but she was fed up with watching the workers in the mill take too much on their shoulders for not enough pay. At the risk of losing her job she stood up for what she believed in and helped unionize the mill.
2. Mrs. Doubtfire-Miranda Hillard
Miranda is an emotional wreck. She’s a good mom and could be a devoted wife if her husband wasn’t a large child that liked to have fun and not take responsibility. That’s kind of mean really but it’s the truth, and Miranda is much better when she doesn’t have to be the bad guy around the house. She loves her husband, but the fact is that they can’t be together any longer.
1. Steel Magnolias-M’Lynn Eatenton
It’s usually accepted that parents are the first to pass away, that’s the expected rule of nature that the eldest will go first. But when M’Lynn’s daughter Shelby passes away from an illness that can’t be overcome she’s so distraught that all reason just flies from her in that moment and she can’t help but be uncontrollably mad. Thankfully her friends are there to put a pleasant spin on the moment, no matter how sad it really is.
Sally Field should teach a master class on acting, she’s that good.
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