A Rare Talent: Reese Witherspoon
A paucity of good women-centric roles propelled American actress, Reese Witherspoon to turn entrepreneur. MW reports on how our fav Hollywood star has worked hard to enhance the lives of women everywhere.
It’s not only her engaging movie persona – those expressive wide-set eyes, winsome smile and girl-next-door vibe that has made American actress and Legally Blonde star, Reese Witherspoon so bankable, and so very likeable. The child actor who went on to win accolades, and awards for her roles, has the rare distinction today of being an awe-inspiring businessperson who has enhanced the lives of women globally.
In 2016, Witherspoon recognized that there was a paucity of good roles for women, and in an astute move that seemed to come straight from her heart, the star tapped on her love of reading, and her Hello Sunshine Book club, to produce movies inspired by the repertoire of stories she enjoyed. Recently her super successful media company was bought over by equity firm Blackstone, fetching Witherspoon cool profits that have augmented an already sizeable income earned by the star from working in movies and television serials since the she was a teenager. In a post on Instagram, she wrote:
I started @Hello Sunshine to change the way all women are seen in media. Over the past few years, we have watched our mission thrive through books, TV, film and social platforms. Today we are taking a huge step forward by partnering with @blacksone, which will enable us to tell even more entertaining impactful, and illuminating stories about women’s lives globally.
Reese Witherspoon, Joaquin Phoenix at WALK THE LINE Premiere at Toronto Film Festival, Toronto, September 13, 2005. Photo by: Malcolm Taylor/Everett Collection.
In the past, her company has seen to projects like Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere, as well as a movie adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing.
Witherspoon has also a successful apparel line on the business front.
Despite enjoying overriding success, the March-born actress said she never knew what fame was like when she was young; she continues to remain family oriented and down to earth. In an interview, she confessed to spending a lot of time thinking about her three children, 2 from first husband, Ryan Philippe and one from her present husband of 10 years, Jim Toth.
In pictures, she is often seen having a great time, and sharing laughs with 21-year-old daughter, Ava and sons, Tennessee and Deacon. Family, fame, and fortune. Surely winsome Witherspoon has earned the right to have it all.
Reese's Rise to Fame
A seven-year-old Reese was already making her foray into the daunting world of modelling. At 11 years of age, she won a teen contest on television, since then there has been no looking back for the Louisiana-born actress. The daughter of a registered nurse, Betty Witherspoon and a military surgeon, John Draper Witherspoon, Reese’s convictions, and work ethics have held her in good stead. She once told Vanity Fair in an interview, “I like work. If it’s not hard enough, I try to make it harder. I like the process of being daunted by it, tackling it, and knowing I can do it.”
Rachel Weisz and Reese Witherspoon at the 78th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, CA,03-05-06, photo by S. Bukley/Depositphotos.
Her acting role in 1990 in The Man in the Moon won her the first accolades. Although she did receive other roles, she decided to take a break and major in English literature at Stanford University. Instead, she found that she had landed roles in films such as Fear (1996) with Mark Wahlberg and Freeway in 1999 with Kiefer Sutherland. Other lucrative roles such as those in Pleasantville, Cruel Intentions and Election followed in the late 1990s.
Her 2001 comedy Legally Blonde won her a wonderful fan following and catapulted her to a major star status. She went on to more blockbusters like Sweet Home Alabama in 2002, and in 2005, won the Oscar for her role as the unforgettable June Carter in the biopic, Walk the Line. She had several more hits such as Four Christmases and How do you know, and then came up trumps in her own film production Wild which won her a nomination for best actress in 2014. She was given the distinction of being in the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a star in 2010.
10 Things You May Not Know About Reese Witherspoon
1. Witherspoon believes that dancing around to 40 tap-worthy songs would make her children laugh.
2. She listed several new habits to follow in 2022:
Start the day with a big glass of water.
Get 10 minutes of outdoor light. @Hubermanlab recommends morning light.
Spend 30-60 minutes reading without distraction every day.
In bed by 10 pm. "No late-night TV binges. Try to get eight hours of rest!”
3. She thinks her co-star for Morning Show, Jennifer Aniston is one of the funniest women she has ever met. She said that Aniston had perfect comic timing.
4. It may be old news by now, but the Southern star kept all the 60 outfits she wore as Elle Woods in her blockbuster film, Legally Blonde.
5. “Reese” is her mother’s maiden name. As for why she chose to update her first name, that’s still unclear, but we will say that Reese has a nice ring to it. Her full name is actually Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon
6. Her enterprising nature surfaced in grade 3 when she sold custom made barrettes. Er, she was suspended for that!
7. She dreamt of singing in Broadway one day. Well, that dream did not materialize but she played a role that came close to that.
8. She revealed that she had been a cheerleader for wrestling and football.
9. She was a student of literature at Stanford University for a while before taking up her career in films full-time.
10. She landed her first role in a 1991 film called The Man in the Moon and was grateful for that experience.