Drink your juice, Shelby.
And here’s some juice for everyone: Sally Field knew her Steel Magnolias co-star Julia Robertswas destined for greatness before the cameras even started rolling.
In this week’s exclusive cover story (coming tomorrow, April 29), Field tells Parade that she first clocked Roberts’ immense talent when the producers were casting the role of Shelby—the bright-eyed (and totally doomed) bride and mom who suffers from severe Type 1 diabetes.
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It was May of 1988 and Field was already locked in to play Shelby’s concerned mom, M’Lynn, and was performing alongside several potential Shelbys during the audition process. "I read with a lot of established actors for that role," she says.
And then Roberts walked into the room. A Georgia native with a wide smile, she had appeared in obscure flicks like Firehouse, Baja Oklahoma and Satisfaction; her beloved gem Mystic Pizza had not yet been released. As Field recalls, “After I read with Julia, I said ‘We’re done, we’re done. There she is.’ I knew.”
Related: Sally Field Reveals the Real Reason ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ Still Hits So Hard 33 Years Later (Exclusive)
Alas (dusty spoiler alert!), Roberts’ character does not live to see the closing credits: The hit 1989 film about friendship and resilience among six strong-willed Southern women—based on Robert Harling’s 1987 play of the same name—culminates with Shelby’s tragic death following the high-risk birth of her son and a kidney transplant.
The cast of Steel Magnolias poses for a portrait in 1989.Photo by Aaron Rapoport on Getty Images
Field—now starring in the heartwarming Netflix movie Remarkably Bright Creatures (out May 8)—adds that filming the tearjerking scene at Shelby’s gravesite was just as poignant for her as it is for the weeping audiences.
Related: What Dolly Parton Told Julia Roberts on the Set of ‘Steel Magnolias’ Left Her Speechless
“You don’t think of it as ‘Oh, it’s just another day at the office,’” she says. “It takes a great part of your soul. It costs you. It cost every one of us. 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 ended up nabbing a 1989 Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her heartbreaking performance, losing to Brenda Fricker for My Left Foot. By the summer of 1990, she had ascended to the Hollywood A-List by way of her dazzling performance in Pretty Woman.
Still, Steel Magnolias remains a modern-day classic because of its formidable ensemble. Along with Field, the cast featured Dolly Parton (big-hearted hairdresser Truvy); Shirley MacLaine (town grump Ouiser); Olympia Dukakis (well-to-do widow Clairee); and Daryl Hannah (shy apprentice beautician Annelle). Dylan McDermott played Roberts’ husband, while Tom Skerritt played her father.
Shooting with these fellow legends? Just as amazing as it seems. “It was a great experience,” Field says. “We had a wonderful time together. We adored each other, we fought for each other, we cared for each other, we would get together and play games.”
She adds, “Those kinds of experiences don’t come around a lot. They’re a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and you know there won’t be another.”
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