Oscar Winner Reveals She Turned Down Iconic ’90s Comedy
The Daily Beast • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Sally Field revealed she turned down the role of Annie MacDuggan-Paradis in the 1996 film First Wives Club, citing concerns with the movie’s plot and themes about older women seeking romantic or sexual validation.
- Field felt the story did not resonate with her perspective, stating she believed there was more to say about women’s experiences beyond the film’s focus on dating and relationships.
- The role of Annie was ultimately played by Diane Keaton, whom Field praised as perfectly suited for the part, acknowledging she herself would not have been as good.
- Field also noted her inability to sing, which was a requirement for the film’s closing scene where the main characters perform Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me.”
- Instead of First Wives Club, Field starred in the film Eye for an Eye and directed the TV movie The Christmas Tree in 1996.
