Sally Field wins Emmy for Remarkably Bright Creatures

Sally Field won an Emmy for her performance in the Netflix movie Remarkably Bright Creatures on Monday night.

The Oscar-winning actress won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her portrayal of aquarium cleaner Tova Sullivan, who forms a bond with an octopus named Marcellus.

Taking to the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the 79-year-old couldn't hold back her surprise as she exclaimed, "This was not supposed to happen!"

"I loved this project from page one of this lovely novel by Shelby Van Pelt, whatever her name is. Anyway, she knows what it is," she quipped. "This story of an old woman, a young man, and an octopus doesn't come around a lot."

The Forrest Gump star heaped praise on the film's team, including director Olivia Newman, Marcellus voice actor Alfred Molina and her co-star Lewis Pullman.

"I wouldn't be up here if not for the magical talent of Lewis Pullman, who stood next to me the whole time," she stated.

Concluding her speech, Field reflected on her six-decade acting career, saying, "I have been so grateful and so proud to be a part of this community, the arts, for 62 years or something. We're the arts. We matter. Our voices matter. Our diversity, our unique storytelling, matters. We can't let those voices be silenced or compromised or merged. Thank you for this, thank you so much."

Field was a surprise winner of that category, with many predicting Carey Mulligan or Sarah Snook to win for Beef and All Her Fault. Other nominees included Sarah Pidgeon for Love Story and Claire Danes for The Beast in Me.

The veteran actress, who now has four Emmys, also made history as the oldest actress to win that category.

Remarkably Bright Creatures, which debuted on Netflix in May, won the Outstanding Movie prize at the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month.