Sally Field struggled to hold back tears as she honored her longtime friend and Steel Magnolias costar Dolly Parton at the 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 14, 2026. After winning her fourth Emmy, the actress opened up about the emotional tribute and the special bond she shared with the late singer and actress.
Field, 79, introduced Reba McEntire during the ceremony, who performed Parton’s 1983 song Appalachian Memories. Speaking to reporters backstage after her win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Field admitted that honoring Parton was not easy.
“Oh, don’t even talk to me about it,” she said when asked about the tribute.
The actress explained that she often spends her career trying to make herself cry for a role, but this time, she was doing everything she could not to cry.
“She was a friend. I admire her. I loved working with her. I never stopped loving her,” Field said.
The two actresses became close while filming the 1989 classic Steel Magnolias alongside Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah and Olympia Dukakis. Field compared the experience of making the movie to being in battle together, saying the cast spent so much time together that they became like family.
“We would go shopping together, all of us, and go to Walmart together. Can you imagine all of us coming into Walmart?” she recalled.
Although Field and Parton lived far apart, they remained connected over the years. Field said they sometimes tried to meet but could never find a way to make it happen.
“But I never stopped feeling that way about her,” she added. “I loved her.”
Field shared the same love during her emotional tribute onstage. Speaking to the audience in Los Angeles, she recalled how fortunate she felt to have worked with Parton and said she adored her from the moment they met.
“She was genuine and humble, supportive, and blisteringly funny, with a bawdy sense of humor that would send any rude guy looking for a place to hide,” Field said.
The actress also admitted that she did not fully understand how extraordinary Parton was at the time, both as an artist and as a person.
Parton died on Aug. 25 at age 80. Following her death, Field shared a photo of the Steel Magnolias cast on Instagram, including Parton, Roberts, MacLaine, Dukakis and herself.
“If there are truly angels on earth, then we have just lost one. Dolly Parton,” she wrote.
“There will never be another. I adored her with all my heart and will always cherish our time together,” Field added. “Forever. Rest in peace beautiful Dolly.”
While the Emmys gave Field a chance to honor her late friend, the night also marked a major career milestone. She won her fourth Emmy for her starring role in the Netflix movie Remarkably Bright Creatures, making it her 10th career nomination.
When asked what might come next, Field admitted that finding new roles has become more difficult as she gets older.
“It’s very hard to find projects for old women,” she said. “It’s about finding that next thing, so that’s what I haven’t done. That next thing hasn’t come its way.”