[Blarg]

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Okay, here's an odd duck - Sally Field.

How is it that Sally Field has managed to be a leading lady for 40 years? Don't get me wrong, she's good and all, but if you looked at all the actresses around in 1965, who would have picked Gidget to still be around 42 years later? She's not a raving beauty by anyone's standard, but she has managed to remain cute and everyone's little sister or favorite aunt all this time. Decent actress, but not really considered the top of the game at any time, despite 2 Oscars. She just keeps rolling along.

My guess is, she's got a great work ethic, is easy to work with on the set, takes care of herself, and has a great sense of what will work for her. That gets her lots of offers where the more beautiful but troublesome divas get passed over. Those wanting a long Hollywood career would do well to study her.

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I think she has an extraordinary ability to be indentified with as the common woman. Her turns in Norma Rae and Not Without My Daughter were deeply affecting. She also got surprisingly sexy in her day, like in Pumping Iron. But still kept the cuteness and basic likeability.

She's not classically beautiful or bust-out sexy, but many women like that, even if they act reasonably well, don't have that thing in them that makes you think they would be more than a curiosity as a friend(or maybe not a real friend at all). Fields' ability to get you to completely empathize with her makes her seem as real as your favorite sister.

I don't think she's overrated, and think she deserves her Oscars, too. I wish we had gotten to see a lot more of her. She didn't really put out too many movies.