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Sally Field improvised her 80 for Brady jokes about only being in her 70s

Sally Field would like you to remember that she is still in her 70s.

Despite being one of the core four in 80 for Brady, Field is 76 (and was 75 during filming), which the movie pokes fun at by having her character Betty regularly remind her pals that she's not in her 80s yet. Later in the film, Betty even crosses out an "80" on the back of her bedazzled football jersey and replaces it with a "70" in tape.

While sitting down with Field, she tells EW that she was actually responsible for the running joke. "That was my idea," she says with a laugh. "I came in saying, 'Uh, wait, hold on. I'm not 80.' I'm going to be proud to be 80. But I'm not there yet."

Sally Field plays Betty and Guy Fieri plays himself in 80 For Brady
Sally Field plays Betty and Guy Fieri plays himself in 80 For Brady

Scott Garfield/Paramount Sally Field as Betty and Guy Fieri plays himself in '80 For Brady' from Paramount Pictures

"We ad-libbed something in the scene where I said, 'Hold on, hold on, I'm not 80,'" she continues. "Rita [Moreno] said, 'And neither am I. I'm 90.'" [Note: Moreno is now 91.]

Lily Tomlin, who is 83, says that she reckons the title still holds once you take the average of the four leading ladies, including Jane Fonda, who is 85. "That must have rounded us out to like a nice 85," Tomlin quips.

Field reveals that the wardrobe team liked her ad-libs so much they were inspired to include the gag with the tape on her jersey. "Our costume department heard me constantly saying, 'No, no, no, I'm not that,'" she explains. "They said, 'You know what? We better make that a legitimate change here.' But they should have done it on Rita's too."

Adds Tomlin with a cheeky smile: "But you're so much more vain than Rita," to which Field replies, "We know that." That's okay, we still can't deny the fact that we like her.

80 For Brady hits theaters Feb. 3.

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