Sally Field Says She Knew Julia Roberts Would Be a Star When She Auditioned for “Steel Magnolias”: 'There She Is'
Sally Field Says She Knew Julia Roberts Would Be a Star When She Auditioned for “Steel Magnolias”: 'There She Is'
Virginia ChamleeTue, April 28, 2026 at 8:54 PM UTC
0
Sally Field, Julia Roberts Steel Magnolias - 1989Credit: Zade Rosenthal/Tri-Star/Kobal/Shutterstock -
Sally Field says she immediately knew Julia Roberts was “the one” for Steel Magnolias
Roberts would earn an Oscar nomination for her breakout role as Shelby before becoming an A-list star with Pretty Woman
In an interview with Prade, Field reflected on the emotional toll of filming the movie’s heartbreaking scenes, saying, “It takes a great part of your soul. It costs you”
Sally Field is looking back on the moment she realized Julia Roberts was destined for stardom — and it happened before Steel Magnolias had even begun filming.
In a new interview with Parade, Field recalled the casting process for the beloved 1989 drama, revealing she instantly recognized Roberts’ star power the moment she walked into the audition room.
At the time, Field was already set to play M’Lynn, the protective mother to Shelby, a spirited young woman living with Type 1 diabetes. The production was still searching for the right actress to bring Shelby to life, and Field found herself reading scenes with a number of contenders.
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Sally Field (left), Julia RobertsCredit: Stefanie Keenan/VF24/WireImage; Christopher Polk/2026GG/Penske Media via Getty
“I read with a lot of established actors for that role,” Field told Parade, adding that everything changed when Roberts auditioned.
“After I read with Julia, I said, ‘We’re done, we’re done. There she is.’ I knew,” Field recalled.
At the time, Roberts was far from a household name. The Georgia native had appeared in smaller projects like Mystic Pizza (which had yet to be released) and films including Firehouse, Baja Oklahoma and Satisfaction.
Advertisement
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
But her casting in Steel Magnolias, based on Robert Harling’s 1987 play, helped cement her star status. The film told the story of friendship and resilience among a tight-knit group of Southern women. The ensemble cast — which also included Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Olympia Dukakis — helped cement the film’s lasting legacy.
For Field, filming the film's emotionally intense moments was a challenge.
“You don’t think of it as ‘Oh, it’s just another day at the office,’ ” she told Parade. “It takes a great part of your soul. It costs you. It cost every one of us.”
She continued: “We get a great deal of return from it because we learn from it. We were certainly bonded in it, holding each other’s hands the whole time. But it’s not just a job.”
Roberts would earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film, and would become a full-fledged A-list star thanks to her role in Pretty Woman, which premiered in 1990.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
