Sally Field Reveals Why She Turned Down Iconic First Wives Club Role
Key Points
- Declined Annie Paradis role, objecting to the film’s portrayal of older women pursuing romance and sex.
- Also turned it down because the role required singing, a skill she says she lacks.
- Diane Keaton ultimately played the role; Field praised Keaton, who died in October 2025.
SALLY Field has opened up about why she passed on a role in the cult classic The First Wives Club.
The Oscar-winning actress revealed in a Parade interview that she declined the part of Annie Paradis because she didn’t connect with the film’s portrayal of older women.
“I have always had a problem with older women either wanting to get a date or looking to, like, you know, have more sex with their husband,” she said.
“I just feel like there’s more for women to say, so that was just never my cup of tea.”
The 1996 comedy starred Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton and Bette Midler as three women seeking revenge on their ex-husbands.
Field also confessed she couldn’t have taken the role because it required singing, which she can’t do.
“I couldn’t have done that role because I don’t sing, and they all do at the end,” she added.
The part eventually went to the late Diane Keaton, who Field praised as the perfect fit.
“I would never have been as good,” Field said.
“I mean, it was absolutely right for Keaton — not for me.”
Keaton passed away in October 2025 at the age of 79 from bacterial pneumonia.
Field’s candid take sheds new light on why she missed out on what became a beloved female-led hit.
