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Sybil was released to great critical acclaim. Field recalls how Hollywood and American audiences saw her in a new light as a serious actress, and her performance earned rave reviews. In addition, the film’s sensitive portrayal of Sybil’s disorder sparked new discourse on mental health.
While Field was eager to take advantage of new opportunities, Reynolds persuaded her to star in a play he was directing in Florida. While not a strategic career decision, Fields enjoyed her time there, as her children could join her on set, and her mother played a secondary character. Months later, Field was in Santa Barbara, constantly helping Reynolds as he directed a film. When she was nominated for an Emmy for Sybil, he downplayed her achievement, predicting that she would lose like she had at the Television Critics Awards. Burt’s disapproving and dismissive attitude shamed Field into watching the awards from home, and she was shocked to learn that she had won the Emmy and was not there to accept it.
Reynolds’s controlling behavior continued as Field worked on another professional collaboration with him. The film, Hooper, centered on stuntmen’s lives and even included a performance by Field’s stepfather, Jocko.