• Famous friends include Selma Blair, Jennifer Garner, Tara Subkoff and Breckin Meyer.
• Stayed with her previous agent Steve Dontanville for 15 years until he retired in April 2005. Dontanville discovered Reese on the set of Man in the Moon. “He was like, ‘Stay in school. I’m not going to put you on a TV show. I’m not even going to have you audition for that kind of stuff. You’re a movie actress, I just know it.’ And I was like, ‘I am?’ Since then, he’s told me that he got in so much trouble for signing me. People thought he was an idiot for championing me.”
• Was offered roles in Scream (1996), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Urban Legends (1998) but she declined all of them.
• Auditioned for a role in Mallrats (1995) and was considered for the role of Juliet in Romeo + Juliet (1996).
• Missed out on the role of Danielle Bowden in Cape Fear which went to Juliette Lewis. Reese says that when she flew in to audition, she did not know who Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese were but a man who sat next to her in the airplane told her. Reese freaked out so bad that she could not get a word out of her mouth in front of the great actor.
• As extra credit for a high school class, she worked as an office production assistant for the film Devil in a Blue Dress (1995).
• Considers her mother and grandmother her greatest influences.
• Recorded two of Ryan Phillippe’s favorite Frank Sinatra tracks for him as a birthday present in 2005.
• Says that her Sweet Home Alabama character is most like her out of all of the women that she has played but she loves Vanessa from Freeway, because “she doesn’t let anybody bother her, and she stands up for herself in every situation” and wishes she was most like her character in Cruel Intentions. “I think she has a very strong sense of self that I admire.”
• Her previous actor boyfriends include Chris O’Donnell (1993) and Mark Wahlberg (1995). She was with Ryan Phillippe from 1997 to 2006.
• While a teenager her celebrity crush was The Doors frontman, Jim Morrison.
• Had her first kiss at the age of 11.
• Reese has a tattoo of a blue heart on the left side of her hip.
• While pregnant Reese developed a love for Friends and yoga. Pregnancy quirks: Even commercials made her cry, had a special liking for crab legs and popsicles.
• Reese’s dad almost took her to the prom. Since Reese went to an all girls’ school, her date was from another school. He had a game before the dance and was running so late, Reese, afraid she was being stood up, got her father to don his tuxedo as an emergency back-up. But the guy showed at the last minute and Reese was able to go to the prom without her dad. Afterwards, Reese and friends decided the date’s name could no longer be mentioned because of his inappropriate dating behavior.
• Had a perm when she was 12. “I was from Tennesse, you had to have big hair.”
• In the fifth grade Reese asked her dad why she didn’t have a nickname. The next day he just came out with ‘Good morning Bunnykins!’ It’s now stuck.
• Says that the most interesting thing about being an actor is losing yourself in the role you are playing… Not to mention getting to meet interesting people, like Paul Newman!
• Has admitted that she can’t stop staring at people. She loves observing voices and body language and actions and finds people fascinating.
• Always when researching for a new character, Reese first goes to the mall to observe the real people and relate them to the specific role.
• Reese’s friend who did the costumes for Pleasantville also made Reese’s wedding dress. Reese’s father gave her away in front of her whole family as the sun was setting. Apparently all of her family members cried, including her brother and grandmother.
• Her parents were very supportive when she told them about her first pregnancy despite her young age and rising career.
• Reese and Ryan did not know Ava’s sex beforehand nor had any named picked out. “I am just waiting to see their face and then I’ll know”, Reese said.
• Reese really loves Halloween and dresses up with her kids every year.
• Keeps her Oscar in the living room, in a bookcase. “Everybody that comes to my house, I say, ‘You can touch it, but you have to give a speech.'”
• Says she would like to work with David Fincher, Alfonso Cuaron or Quentin Tarantino.
• Reese has a girl-crush on Rachel Bilson and Jennifer Aniston. Isla Fisher has a girl crush on Reese!
• Reese’s stylist is Leslie Fremar.
• Reese loves Kate Middleton.
• Reese is a big fan of slideshows.
• Reese was awarded the MTV Generation Award at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards, becoming the second female in history to receive the award, following Sandra Bullock who received the award one year earlier.
• Reese’s Oscar win in 2006 made her one of nine actresses – at that time – to have won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics’ Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance.
• Reese cites Freeway and Election as being her most important roles – Freeway introduced her to new directors and was first time she was able to be funny on a movie, and Election was the first time she was able to really work on a character.
• Water For Elephants is her favourite movie that she’s been in. It was also her most challenging role, due to the circus training required and learning to ride an elephant.
• Walk The Line was the role that ‘changed’ her – she was able to spend time working on her character and gave her confidence on stage.
• Reese loves scary movies and would like to make a movie like The Others.
• Reese admires Gloria Steinam and Kirsten Gillibrand.
• Reese’s style icon is style icons Diane Keaton.
• Her favourite designers are Jason Wu, Giambattista Valli, Armani and Stella McCartney.
• When she was younger Reese thought she would be a Doctor when she grew up; she says she’d still like to be one.
• When asked if she’d opt for beauty or brains she answered brains, because “beauty fades”.
• Admires the careers of Holly Hunter, Diane Keaton and Frances McDormand.
• Says the book ‘The Measure of Success’ was inspirational to her.
FALSE FACTS
Now and then, the media report things that are untrue! Here are some false facts corrected.
• Reese was born in Nashville or Baton Rouge.
Reese was actually born in Baptist Hospital, New Orleans, Louisiana, while her father were stationed there. Afterwards, the Witherspoons spent a few years in Germany before settling in Nashville.
• Reese’s full name is Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon.
Reese’s marriage license states it as being Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon.
• Reese and Ryan met on the set of Cruel Intentions.
It is a well known fact that Reese and Ryan met on Reese’s 21st birthday in 1997 – a year before they filmed Cruel Intentions.
• Reese is a vegetarian.
It is unclear how these rumours took off but Reese is definitely not a vegetarian. She has many times expressed in the press that she enjoys meat in her diet.