Sally Field played a teenager who loved to surf, but could she really surf in real life?

Sally Field got her start as Gidget, the all-American, surf-loving teen when she was only 18. 

Of course, at that time she didn’t know she would go on to build a long legacy as an actress in roles ranging from comedies to dramas and historical figures.

According to a 1966 interview with The Miami Herald, Field had been working 12-hour days for an entire year while filming Gidget. She would get up at 6:30 a.m. and work until 7:30 p.m. 

Eventually, those long days paid off, but at the end of them, Field still just wanted to be an 18-year-old. Even though she spent most of her time playing a teenager on screen, she wanted to feel like one off screen, too.

"The only thing I miss is being around kids," Field said. "Most of my friends are from TV — and, you know, when a show’s over … But, gosh, I went to this party and there was Sean Connery. I almost dropped dead. He’s really neat.”

When a show ended, keeping those friendships wasn’t always easy. With the grueling filming schedule and being tucked away from mainstream life, it was hard to maintain close friends, she said.

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Still, she recognized the perks most her age would only dream of experiencing. While many teens and young adults were writing fan letters to their favorite celebrities, Field was already among them.

Despite the perks, fame also came with restrictions. 

"I can’t always wear the kind of kooky clothes I love," Field said. "You know, people recognize me now, so I can’t be an oddball. I like Courrèges boots... I used to wear them at interviews, but now I use them only around the house or shopping."

Despite having a very different teenage life than Gidget, Field did share one big thing with her character. When asked if she was as good a surfer as Gidget, Field lit up, according to the interview.

"I took lessons from a champion surfer for Gidget,"  Field said. "Was I scared! Not of the board, but the coldness of the water. It took me three months to learn …"

By the end of Gidget, she was well-versed in surfing. While still navigating adulthood—balancing friendships, her career, and discovering who she was—she remained just as much an all-American teen as Gidget.

Maybe that’s why she played the character so well.