Sally Field Replaces Betty Buckley in new ABC series... — Page 2

Good point Garland Girl. Betty is quite intense and does not radiate warmth. I've seen her live in plays and musicals and she does well with darker more brooding and sad material. From the notes on the show, Betty might not be the right fit. We will see. I wonder if they will air the already filmed episodes with Betty and then just replace with Sally or re-shoot it all. I'd love to see the contrast if they just replace her with Sally after the pilot episodes.

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True EIE and Carrie were warm characters but she still plays them fairly austere. I liken her portrayal of Abby more to a psychotherapist than a "mom". Accepting and open, but challenging, reflective and somewhat neutral. Also, the gym teacher in Carrie was sympathetic but also very directive and kinda "get over it and move on" with Carrie. Betty has made no secrets she's done a lot of psychotherapy and I think it comes out in her work.

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Oh I LOOOOOOVEEED Sally on Soapdish! One of my favorite movies! It's so ridiculous it's funny!!!

I can't wait to see Sally Field in her new role. She has a marvelous acting career. She won her Emmy in 1977 for "Sybil" and another Emmy in 2001 for a guest starring role on "ER."
Sally won her Oscars in 1980 for "Norma Rae" and in 1984 for "Places In The Heart." It is always a wonderful opportunity to watch Sally Field on television or in movies. Actresses like her... and so many others "of a certain age" should be appreciated more. Although some may scoff at her for her current television ad, she needs to work and make a living. I'm looking forward to seeing her on the small tube once more. from Roman in Austin, Texas

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Unless someone has verified that Buckley was replaced because she is a diva, I believe that it is unfair to turn a speculation into truth. Just because someone THINKS that is why she was replaced that should not make it truth. When Daniel Davis was released from La Cages, there was no formal reason given and rumors swirled about his being difficult and then it became TRUTH that he was fired because of that. In fact, Beach stated very firmly that was not the case, but no one seemed to care. The rumor became truth.

Let's give Ms. Buckley a break. If the studio has not formally stated a reason, why should we feel we KNOW the answer? Difficult or not, Buckley is not the only person who has a reputation for high standards or for being difficult. Some of the best actors do. It does not make them unemployable and in fact many movie and TV sets struggle with tempermental actors, directors and other artists every day. She is certainly not the worst or the last to be called 'difficult'. But in this case, we have no idea WHY she was replaced, so let's not damage her reputation by speculation.

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Sam, she doesn't need you to defend her. Don't waste your energy.

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It does seem to me that Betty is clearly difficult to work with. After all, just a year ago she brought down that whole Sweeney Todd show and nearly the theatre itself in Texas. She needs to learn to calm down.

No one has stated for sure why Betty was replaced but probably Betty's removal has nothing to do with her playing the character as a strong, tough but loving mother but more to do with her off-camara behavior

What is the story about Sweeney Todd?

In answer to lite2shine:

The producer's name in Texas is Tony Georges. His company was Ector Theatricals, and it was in Odessa, Texas.

Updated On: 7/18/06 at 11:41 AM

Thanks, flamingo. Boy it was almost exactly a year ago. It seems ages ago though. I guess Ector Theatricals folded as their web page isn't available anymore. I guess Tony was too ambitious trying to do all these things without much "real" experiences.

Oh, for crap's sake.

Here's the promo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4Nul1JgAoE

I always wished they'd have the pilot on a DVD. The show had such potential (though going with Sally was smart)--Jon Robin Baitz's blog about writing for it was fascinating and candid at the time. ABC forced him to have more focus as the show went on, on the younger cast, and forced on him the idea of the young assistant who the younger brothers fought over. When Baitz left early in Season 2 the show never had an identity again (Rachel Griffiths at the time said she would leave if Baitz did) and went through four different teams of headwriters.