Sally Field said high schoolers were the world's hardest audience
Sally Field has become an acting legend through her many years in the industry. We’ve seen her in major roles such as Smokey and the Bandit, Mrs. Doubtfire, Forrest Gump, Lincoln and, of course, The Amazing Spider-Man.
But before some of her biggest roles, she had a high-flying start in the smaller role of Sister Bertrille in The Flying Nun.
The Flying Nun premiered in 1967, when Field was only 20 years old. This was the second time audiences saw the young star, following her first role in Gidget, the all-American girl, in the all-American hit series.
According to a 1967 interview with the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Field was not long out of high school herself, and her role as Sister Bertrille was a big hit among high school students and teens across the country. See Also
"The hardest audience in the world, I don’t care what anybody says, is a high school audience," Field said. "They really don’t care because they’d rather pass notes to the girl down the way. I tell you, if you can capture that audience, you can capture any audience."
The show’s lighthearted humor and Field’s youthful, energetic performance made The Flying Nun appealing to younger viewers. As a wholesome, noncontroversial sitcom, it was also a staple for families watching together.
According to the interview, her high school teacher, Mr. Culp, was a big inspiration to her and prepared her for her roles as the all-American girl Gidget and Sister Bertrille.
"He let us have the freedom to learn on our own," Field said. "We got to do one play a year and five scenes a year, which we'd put on in an assembly. Mr. Culp was kind of a sounding board who would say yes or no to whatever we were doing, and he'd teach us the fundamentals. It was great."
According to another 1969 interview with The Buffalo News, Field said The Flying Nun was far different from her first previous role as Gidget. Gidget was from a time when she was much like her high school peers in a lot of ways, while The Flying Nun was a bit more mature.
"I've grown up a lot," Field said. "I used to be an idealist. Every role I played had to be a gem. I wanted every experience to be a growing one, and I would fight it, I would hate it, when it wasn't. Now I know you just go to work and do the best job you can with what's available... I'm not Gidget anymore."