Sally Field’s lasting impact on Maura Tierney

Larry King: I understand that when you worked with Sally Field on “ER,” that had a lasting impression on you. Why?

Maura Tierney: I think that Sally Field, well first of all she’s an amazing actress. So to work with her is a learning experience. And she taught me that it was okay to give myself permission to take myself seriously as an actor. Which, I didn’t, you know, have a lot of confidence. I worked very, very hard but I didn’t have a lot of confidence, and she’s a, she’s a strong woman and she took the time that she needed to be in the corner or listen to her music or do whatever she needed to do to prepare, and she didn’t care what anybody thought. She didn’t need to be friends with everybody on set, even though she’s lovely. And I thought, ‘wow, it’s okay to take this seriously and not mind if anybody sees that you take it seriously.’

Larry King: She was a great Mary Lincoln.

Maura Tierney: Yes, that too. And you know, she did a lot of work to get that part. She did a lot of work to get that.

Larry King: They didn’t want her, right?

Maura Tierney: And it’s because, well she was supposed to have it and then they changed the casting of Lincoln and there was, I don’t know if this is my story to tell but I think she’s very brave, and she did a lot of work and triumphed. She’s one of the women who have come before that have done a lot of work.

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