Sally Field Reminds Every School Why They Need a Drama Department at 2023 SAG Awards

After Andrew Garfield presented Sally Field with the 2023 SAG Awards Lifetime Achievement Award on Feb. 26, the Mrs. Doubtfire star shared her inspiring acting journey.

By Mike Vulpo Feb 27, 2023 2:49 AMTags
Watch: Best SAG Awards Red Carpet Looks of ALL TIME

Sally Field will never forget where she came from.

During the 2023 SAG Awards on Feb. 26, the 76-year-old actress received a standing ovation after Andrew Garfield presented her with the Lifetime Achievement Award. (For a complete list of winners, click here.) When she accepted her trophy, Sally looked back on her inspiring journey into Hollywood.

"I first found this stage when I was 12 years old in the seventh grade and after that, I never left the drama department," she told the audience inside the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, Calif. "You know, back when schools actually have drama departments."

Sally described the magic she felt on stage, calling it "the one place I could be really me."

"When I got off stage, I felt shy and careful and hidden," she said. "I would think and rethink everything before I could say or do anything. But on stage, I never knew what I would say or do. I would surprise myself."

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2023 SAG Awards: Best Dressed Stars

In the fall of 1964, a then-17-year-old Sally said her first lines of dialogue as a professional actor.

Rob Latour/Shutterstock for SAG Awards

"I didn't have an agent and I was working under what's called the Taft-Hartley law," she said. "A few months later, this show [Gidget] was picked up and all of a sudden I was a star of a television series. And I became a member of the Screen Actors Guild."

During her acceptance speech, Sally joked about all the characters she has taken on, including Mrs. Doubtfire's employer, Forrest Gump's mother, Abraham Lincoln's wife and Spider Man's aunt.

But when celebrating her career, which has spanned close to 60 years, Sally said she never lost a sense of gratitude.

"Acting to me has always been about finding those few precious moments when I feel totally, utterly and sometimes dangerously alive," she said. "There is not a day that I don't feel quietly thrilled to call myself an actor."

Earlier this month, the SAG Awards explained why Sally would be the recipient of their annual award. 

"Sally is an amazing actor with an enormous range and an uncanny ability to embody any character," SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said. "She has an enduring career because she is authentic in her performance and always projects likability and humanity—she just connects. That's part of why she has sustained her massive fandom and incredibly rich and layered career."

The recipient of the Life Achievement Award is a well-established performer who has contributed to improving the image of the acting profession and has a history of active involvement in humanitarian and public service endeavors.

Past winners included Helen Mirren, Robert De NiroMorgan Freeman and Lily Tomlin. But enough about awards! Keep reading for all the must-see 2023 SAG Awards fashion. 

Angela Bassett

In Giambattista Valli Couture with De Beers jewelry and Sarah Flint shoes

Jessica Chastain

In Zuhair Murad

Jenna Ortega

In Atelier Versace with Tiffany & Co. jewelry

Ariana DeBose

In Prabal Gurung with Melinda Maria and Effy jewelry

Viola Davis

In Valentino

Emily Blunt

In Oscar de la Renta with Bvlgari jewelry

Zendaya

In Valentino with Bvlgari jewelry 

Hannah Einbinder

In Staud with De Beers jewelry

Jennifer Coolidge

In Saint Laurent

Paul Mescal

In Simone Rocha with Paul Smith boots

Amy Poehler

In Roland Mouret

Sarah Burns

Taron Egerton

In Giorgio Armani

Cate Blanchett

In Armani Privé

Seth Rogen & Lauren Miller

Seth in Fendi; Lauren in Emilia Wickstead

Jeremy Allen White

In Louis Vuitton with Vacheron Constantin jewelry 

Colin Farrell

In Dolce & Gabbana

Keeley Karsten

In Tarik Ediz 

Kerry Condon

In Louis Vuitton

Michelle Yeoh

In Schiaparelli Couture with Moussaieff jewelry 

Claire Foy

In Prada

Christina Applegate & Sadie Grace LeNoble

Christina in Christian Siriano 

Eugene Levy

Aubrey Plaza

In Michael Kors with Mouawad jewelry 

Jackie & Adam Sandler

Ana de Armas

In Louis Vuitton

Rooney Mara

In Alexander McQueen

Jason Bateman & Amanda Anka

Jason in Dolce & Gabbana 

Brendan Fraser

In ZEGNA

Jessie Buckley

In Christian Dior Couture with Fernando Jorge jewelry 

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View More Photos From SAG Awards 2023: Red Carpet Fashion
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