Washington DC [US], May 9 : Veteran actress Sally Field has revealed that Jack Nicholson played a crucial role in helping her overcome a difficult phase in Hollywood after her early television success left her typecast, according to People.
Speaking about her career struggles, the two-time Oscar winner recalled that after starring in the sitcom The Flying Nun in the late 1960s and early 1970s, she found it nearly impossible to secure serious acting opportunities.
"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,'" Field said, according to People.
The actress shared that during that period, she pushed herself to improve her craft instead of giving up.
"I had to say to myself that if I wasn't where I wanted to be, I had to get better," she said, describing Hollywood as "rotten" and "unfair."
Field explained that she began training extensively at the Actors Studio in Los Angeles under renowned acting coach Lee Strasberg.
Among the actors attending the sessions was Nicholson, whom she described as one of the "wonderful actors" regularly working with Strasberg.
According to Field, Nicholson eventually noticed her dedication and recommended her to casting director Dianne Crittenden and filmmaker Bob Rafelson as "an undiscovered talent."
That recommendation led to her first significant meeting for the 1976 comedy-drama Stay Hungry.
"So in some weird way, my theory was right," Field said. "I worked at the Actors Studio for so long -- and it was so hard -- that Jack had seen it and the word spread," according to People.
Field went on to star opposite Jeff Bridges and Arnold Schwarzenegger in Stay Hungry, which she described as the turning point in her career.
"It was the beginning of the change," she said, according to People.
The same year, Field also won an Emmy Award for the television miniseries Sybil, paving the way for acclaimed projects such as Smokey and the Bandit, Norma Rae and Places in the Heart.
Now 79, Field says she remains committed to acting and continues to focus on improving her craft.
"I'm always hoping to get better," she said, according to People.
Field currently stars in Remarkably Bright Creatures, adapted from Remarkably Bright Creatures, which is now streaming on Netflix.