Reese Witherspoon on Acting: ‘My Performances Have Been Based on My Friends, and I’ve Never Told Them’
From Tracy Flick to Elle Woods to Madeline Martha Mackenzie, few actors have as many household names in their body of work as Reese Witherspoon. How has her acting process helped her create so many iconic roles? “It’s almost like being an anthropologist,” she says. “You are studying contemporary behavior and how people interact and then applying it to character.”
Take “Legally Blonde,” her instant-classic comedy about a sorority sister–turned–Harvard lawyer. “There’s a reason that it has stood the test of time,” Witherspoon says of the 2001 film. Remembering how she constructed Elle Woods, she says she spent time at a real-world sorority house to watch how the members behaved. She also went to a fancy Beverly Hills department store to watch customers try on shoes. All that analysis then went back into the performance.
Witherspoon’s techniques for each role vary wildly, thanks to an early start as a teen actor and a lack of formal training. As she puts it, “It’s hard for me to describe [my process], because I’ve kind of taped it together with duct tape!” After being bit by the acting bug early on in Tennessee, she began taking adult acting classes, appearing in commercials, and performing odd jobs in film production. She dropped out of school to pursue a screen career and broke out in “The Man in the Moon,” following it up with “Cruel Intentions” and “Election.” Eventually, she became a movie star; her performance as June Carter Cash in “Walk the Line” earned her a SAG Award, a BAFTA, and an Oscar.
“The way I prepare for everything is deeply personal for me,” she says, “so sometimes I have a hard time explaining to directors what I do. But it’s a deep, deep understanding of where the character comes from, what their upbringing was, who loved them, who didn’t love them. How do they walk through the world? Do they diminish themselves? Do they take up space? And so much of it comes from knowing people and watching people.
Exciting news this morning, as the Screen Actors Guild Award nominations were announced, and The Morning Show and Reese scored nominations! The show received a total of 4 nominations, for Ensemble and 3 for acting – including an individual nomination for Reese (finally!).
The show will go back to being a in-person event this year (last year was virtual), and will be held at the Santa Monica Barker Hangar on February 27th. It will air on on TNT and TBS in the US at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Brian Cox (“Succession”)
Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”)
Kieran Culkin (“Succession”)
Lee Jung-Jae (“Squid Game”)
Jeremy Strong (“Succession”)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”)
Jung Ho-yeon (“Squid Game”)
Elizabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Sarah Snook (“Succession”)
Reese Witherspoon (“The Morning Show”)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
“The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
“The Morning Show” (Apple TV Plus)
“Squid Game” (Netflix)
“Succession” (HBO)
“Yellowstone” (Paramount Network)
Twenty years after first uniting on “Legally Blonde,” and Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Coolidge are clocking some of the best performances of their career. As Bradley Jackson on the award-winning Apple TV+ series “The Morning Show,” Witherspoon (who also executive produces alongside co-star Jennifer Aniston) is as fearless and riveting as ever. Coolidge, meanwhile, is showing us exactly what she’s made of with her turn on Mike White’s HBO series, “The White Lotus.” Her Tanya is as left-of-center as we’d expect from the iconic comedic performer, but also shows new dramatic shades that make us love her even more.
In conversation with managing editor Benjamin Lindsay, the two longtime actors walk through their acclaimed careers, offer advice and wisdom they’ve learned along the way, and even tease the upcoming “Legally Blonde 3,” as produced by Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine.
Reese and Matthew McConaughey appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show yesterday, to promote Sing 2. They chatted about when they first met (Oscars 2006!), their kids and parenting, their first celebrity crushes (Reese’s was Jim Morrison/Val Kilmer in The Doors movie, Matthew’s was Reese!), the first thing they did after winning their Oscars, and the movie itself.
Find some clips from the interview below, and screencaptures from these clips in our Gallery:
my incredible friend (and sister in another life) Reese Witherspoon came over to talk all things Feel Your Way Through. we cover body image, female support systems, and getting to know ourselves as we grow up. i loveeee this woman and am so thankful for her wisdom and willingness to share a little glimpse into our heart to heart girl talk.
Reese is on the cover of the new December/January issue of In Style US! She is interviewed by US broadcaster Gayle King, and they talk about Reese’s work as a producer, humility and ambition, her daughter and family, Legally Blonde and The Morning Show. It’s accompanied by a beautiful (but slightly photoshopped) new photoshoot. The behind the scenes video of the photoshoot interview is really good too – Reese talks about some of her past characters, what she thinks about some of her past red carpet outfits, the difference between acting and producing, the badass women that inspire her, the movie that made her want to be an actress (Broadcast News & Overboard), and what she thought when walking up to receive her Oscar. Read the interview and watch the behind the scenes video below, and find high quality photos in our Gallery. The magazine hits news-stands on Friday so be sure to pick up a copy!
Reese Witherspoon Isn’t Afraid to Say She’s the Best
With her recent nine-figure money moves and a full slate of upcoming projects, the Morning Show star is like the Lebron James of Hollywood — and she’ll be the first to tell you.
They share a mutual pal in Oprah Winfrey, but “we don’t have a great meet-cute story,” jokes Gayle King about her initial introduction to Reese Witherspoon. Over the years, they have gotten to know each other through corporate gatherings, private dinners, and, of course, regular interviews. (In 2019, King was even the subject as Witherspoon and her Morning Show co-star Jennifer Aniston were the ones asking the questions for a CBS Mornings segment.) When it was revealed this past summer that Witherspoon had sold her female-focused production company, Hello Sunshine, for around $900 million, King was among the first to salute her. “That was a big friggin’ deal,” said King during this talk for InStyle. “When I read it in the paper, I stood up and gave you a round of applause.”
Gayle King: What’s it like to be a badass? Own it, Reese!
Normally we don’t re-post Reese’s social media posts here because you can see them for yourself there, but we’re making an exception for this one as we want to document Reese’s career as comprehensively as possible here. About a week ago, Reese posted some throwback photos of her at the Sundance Filmmakers Lab from way back in 1994! Labs are one of the opportunities the Sundance Institute offers to nurture new talent and allow artists to create and share their stories.
Remembering the amazing time I had at Sundance Filmmakers Lab: 1994. This program is such a gift to aspiring filmmakers. I was only 18, but I remember vividly that week …discussing movies, learning about filmmaking and how to capture stories on film. A wonderful time I will always cherish. ✨ #sundancefilmakerslab
The Morning Show (2019) Seasons 1 & 2 available now on AppleTV+
Season 3 coming in 2023 Role: Bradley Jackson Genre: Apple TV+ Series - Drama News / Info / Photos / Official Site
Your Place Or Mine (2023) On Netflix now Role: Debbie Genre: Romantic comedy News / Info / Photos / Official Site
Legally Blonde 3 (202?) In production Role: Elle Woods Genre: Comedy News / Info / Photos / Official Site
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The Morning Show (2019)
