NEWSSally Field Admits Her 'Natural' Self Wasn't Overtly Sexual While Filming the 1979 Drama 'Norma Rae'
Sally Field starred as Norma Rae in the 1979 drama 'Norma Rae.'
Sept. 22 2026, Published 4:38 p.m. ET
Sally Field admitted that portraying "overt sexuality" did not come naturally to her while filming the 1979 hit Norma Rae.
The actress revealed that director Martin Ritt gave her an unexpected Hollywood icon to channel during a romantic scene.
The Director Gave Sally Field a Suggestion
Sally Field revealed that 'overt sexuality' did not come naturally to her.
Field was filming a romantic scene with co-star Beau Bridges when Ritt noticed she was having trouble connecting with the more sexually experienced side of her character.
"My natural [self] would certainly not be overt sexuality," Field told author Isaac Butler in an interview for The Criterion Channel.
"Marty came up to me while this doing this," she said. "We did one take, and then he said, 'You know what? This is what I want you to do, and the only thing I want you to do is think [Patricia Neil] [in] Hud.'"
Director Martin Ritt told Sally Field to think of Patricia Neal in his 1963 film 'Hud' while filming 'Norma Rae.'
'A Perfect Image For Me'
Sally Field said Patricia Neal's portrayal in 'Hud' gave her the 'perfect image' for approaching sexuality in 'Norma Rae.'
Patricia Neal starred opposite Paul Newman in Ritt's 1963 Western Hud, playing housekeeper Alma Brown.
Her performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Field said Neal's portrayal gave her a different way to approach the scene and allowed her to open up sexually.
"It was such a perfect image for me because she is so profoundly earthy in it," Field shared. "She doesn't care what she looks like. She doesn't have any cute little things she does. She's not trying to attract attention. She just is. And her degree of sexuality is also very radiant, and that's why he can't stay away from her."
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'Norma Rae' Earned Sally Field Two Awards
Sally Field won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Norma Rae.
At 33, Field won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for playing the character Norma Rae in Norma Rae.
She also won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for Norma Rae.
Sally Field's Then-Boyfriend, Burt Reynolds, 'Didn't Want' Her Doing the Movie
Sally Field said her then-boyfriend, Burt Reynolds, 'didn't want' her to do the film.
Despite the awards, the role became a source of conflict with her then-boyfriend Burt Reynolds.
"He didn't want me to do Norma Rae, called her a 'w----,' and it was because she had some sexual past," Field told People in May. "He threw the script at me. He wanted to control me, and because I was standing up [to him], he said, 'Boy, you're letting this get the better of you.' And I said, 'This is the better of me.'"
Field ultimately ignored Reynolds' objections and took the role.
"It was the beginning of me finding my legs," Field shared.
