{"id":840151,"date":"2025-04-09T16:12:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T21:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/09\/these-25-secrets-about-reese-witherspoon-will-make-you-bend-snap\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T16:12:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T21:12:18","slug":"these-25-secrets-about-reese-witherspoon-will-make-you-bend-snap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/09\/these-25-secrets-about-reese-witherspoon-will-make-you-bend-snap\/","title":{"rendered":"These 25 Secrets About Reese Witherspoon Will Make You Bend & Snap"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Reese Witherspoon & Will Ferrell Reveal the Most Surprising Thing About Each Other (Exclusive)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Honestly, is\u00a0there anything\u00a0Reese Witherspoon<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0can’t do? Trick question.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though she’s not a Gemini vegetarian and we’re unclear how comfortable she is using legal jargon in every day life, the multi-hyphenate is still one of the most powerful women in Hollywood<\/a>.\u00a0Ever since\u00a0she kicked off her career in the early ’90s, she has expertly managed to elevate her acting career into\u00a0something so much more, venturing into the world of producing, writing, retail\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0activism. What, like it’s hard?<\/p>\n

Over the last few years, Witherspoon, turning 49 March 22, has earned Emmy nods for Big Little Lies<\/em>,\u00a0Little Fires Everywhere\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0The Morning Show<\/em>\u00a0(her team-up with\u00a0Jennifer Aniston<\/a><\/strong>), plus a slew of Golden Globe nominations. <\/em>Not to mention,\u00a0<\/em>there was the success of her back-to-back adaptions of Where the Crawdads Sing<\/em><\/a> and Daisy Jones and the Six<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And we’d be as seriously disturbed as whoever said orange is the new pink if we didn’t\u00a0highlight the Legally Blonde<\/em><\/a> of it all, the mom of three<\/a>\u00a0leaning into the love for her character Elle Woods with both\u00a0Legally Blonde 3\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Elle<\/em>, a Prime Video prequel series that Witherspoon\u00a0announced last May with a literal bend and snap<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In the months since, she revealed how she tapped her successor in the franchise, revealing that when she saw Elle<\/em> lead\u00a0Lexi Minetree<\/strong>‘s audition tape<\/a>, “I was like, ‘Are we the same person?'”<\/p>\n

With all Witherspoon’s success it can be easy to neglect the fact that the Oscar winner has been living a big little lie for years, even costar Nicole Kidman<\/strong><\/a> forgetting that Reese isn’t her real name<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Of course she’s not the only one who could use a refresher. So, break out your best\u00a0Wreath Witherspoon<\/a>\u2014bless you,\u00a0Mindy Kaling<\/a><\/strong>, for introducing us to such a delightful concept\u2014and brush up on 25 of the most fascinating facts\u00a0about the beloved star. We promise it’ll be just like senior year of college, except funner!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/span>Elliott Marks\/Mgm\/Kobal<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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1. She was born Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon<\/strong> in 1976 in New Orleans. Reese is actually her mother Betty<\/strong>‘s maiden name.<\/p>\n

2. She is a claimed descendant of John Witherspoon<\/strong>, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, though that claim has not been verified by the Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence genealogists.<\/p>\n

3. Her father Dr. John Draper Witherspoon<\/strong> served as a lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve and, as result, Reese spent four years of her childhood living in Wiesbaden, Germany.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/span>Ron Galella\/WireImage<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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4. Growing up a dedicated student who loved reading, she earned the nickname “Little Miss Type A” from her parents. She would later launch her own production company with a title that nodded to the moniker, Type A. In a 2005 profile with Interview<\/em>, however, she clarified the title choice, saying, “It was actually an in-joke with my family because at [age] 7 I understood complicated medical terms, such as the difference between type A and type B personalities. But I just wished I’d named the company Dogfood Films or Fork or something. You carry that baggage all your life.”<\/p>\n

5. Her first acting gig<\/a> came at age 7, when she selected as a model for a florist’s commercials. It inspired her to take acting lessons.<\/p>\n

6. In 1991, she attended an open casting call for the film The Man in the Moon<\/em>, intending to audition as a bit player. Instead, she landed the lead role of Dani Trant, the 14-year-old girl who falls in love for the first time with her 17-year-old neighbor. In her debut, she was nominated for Best Young Actress at that year’s Young Artist Awards.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/span>Melissa Moseley\/Columbia\/Kobal<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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7. Despite making her acting debut at 14, she maintained good enough grades to get accepted to Stanford University as an English literature major, but she withdrew after a year to pursue her burgeoning acting career.<\/p>\n

8. Reese met her first husband, Ryan Phillippe<\/a><\/strong>, when a mutual friend brought him along to her 21st\u00a0birthday party in 1997. As she told People<\/a><\/em> in 2002, she told him at the end of the night, “I think you’re my present.”<\/p>\n

9. After filming the cult classic Cruel Intentions<\/em>, which was released in 1999, Phillippe proposed to his girlfriend in December 1998 with a homemade breakfast-in-bed meal of waffles with strawberries and cream. They tied the knot in Charleston, South Carolina on June 5, 1999. Their daughter Ava<\/strong>\u00a0was born three months later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/span>Richard Corkery\/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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10. On September 29, 2001, Witherspoon hosted the very first episode of Saturday Night Live<\/em> to air after the September 11 terrorist attacks. “It was a really difficult time in New York City,” Witherspoon told<\/a> Katie Couric in 2015. “But I was so proud to be there and be on stage with firemen and Paul Simon<\/strong> and Lorne Michaels<\/strong> I think did an incredible job getting that show back on its feet and making America laugh again.”<\/p>\n

11. When she landed the lead role in director Mira Nair<\/strong>‘s Vanity Fair<\/em>, Nair joked that Witherspoon should get pregnant to gain weight for the role. The actress wound up announcing her second pregnancy during filming, with careful costuming needed to help conceal her baby bump.<\/p>\n

12. Witherspoon and Phillippe’s son Deacon<\/strong>, born in October 2003, was named after former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Deacon Phillippe<\/strong>, a relative of her then-husband’s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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13. For her performance as June Cash<\/strong> in Walk the Line<\/em>, Witherspoon joined a very small list of actresses who have won the Academy Award, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, Golden Globe and SAG Award for the same performance.<\/p>\n

14. She and Phillippe split in 2006 after seven years of marriage.<\/p>\n

15. Witherspoon decided to become a producer after reading a terrible script that her agent sent her way. As she told Chelsea Handler<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in 2017, “I thought, ‘If every actress in Hollywood wants this part, I need to start making movies because this is not worth women’s talent.'”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/span>PA\/PA Images via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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16. After dating Jake Gyllenhaal<\/a><\/strong>, Witherspoon met CAA talent agent Jim Toth<\/strong>, at a party in early 2010 where he came to her rescue. “This really drunk guy was hitting on me, making such an idiot of himself, yelling at me,” she told Elle<\/a><\/em> in 2012. “He was like, [slurring, scowling, pointing finger in her face] ‘You don’t know me.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I know. I don’t know you!’ Jim came over and said, ‘Please excuse my friend. He’s just broken up with someone.’ Jim was a really good friend, pulling him out of that situation. That’s just kind of who he is, a really good person.”<\/p>\n

They tied the knot at her ranch in Ojai, Calif., in March 2011 and welcomed their son, Tennessee<\/strong> in September 2012.<\/p>\n

17. In 2013, Witherspoon and Toth were pulled over by Atlanta PD as Toth was weaving in and out of lanes. As officers were arresting her husband for DUI, she allegedly became irate and started acting up, supposedly asking the officers, “Do you know my name?” When they replied they didn’t need to, she allegedly responded with, “You’re about to find out who I am.” She was arrested for disorderly conduct, later pleading no contest to obstruction.<\/p>\n

“Out of respect for the ongoing legal situation, I cannot comment on everything that is being reported right now. But I do want to say I clearly had one drink too many and I am deeply embarrassed about the things I said,” she said in a statement. “It was definitely a scary situation and I was frightened for my husband, but that was no excuse. I was disrespectful to the officer who was just doing his job. The words I used that night definitely do not reflect who I am. I have nothing but respect for the police and I am very sorry for my behavior.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/span>Tracy Bennett\/Mgm\/Kobal<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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18. In a 2002 interview with People<\/em>, Witherspoon admitted to being “obsessed with Tupperware” and said she couldn’t walk by a Hold Everything container store without going in. Sadly, they shuttered their retail stores in 2006.<\/p>\n

19. From 2007 to 2011, Witherspoon served as the announcer of the Playhouse Disney block of programming on the Disney Channel. Her voice was featured in promos, bumpers and commercials for the morning block that targets children ages 3-8.<\/p>\n

20. In 2013, she appeared on Michael Bubl\u00e9<\/strong>‘s album To Be Loved<\/em>, featured on a cover of the Frank Sinatra<\/strong> and Nancy Sinatra<\/strong> duet, “Somethin’ Stupid.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/span>HBO\/Kobal
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21. When Witherspoon launched her retail brand Draper James in 2015, she named it after her grandparents, Dorothea Draper<\/strong> and William James Witherspoon<\/strong>. The brand, with its focus on fashion, accessories and home d\u00e9cor inspired by the American South, opened its first brick and mortar store in the fall of 2015 in her hometown of Nashville.<\/p>\n

22. Her first book, a lifestyle tome inspired by her southern upbringing called Whiskey in a Teacup<\/em>, was released on September 18, 2018. The lover of books also runs a book club on her Instagram account.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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23. Witherspoon turned down roles in Scream<\/em> and Urban Legend<\/em>, and was considered for the lead in Romeo + Juliet<\/em> before losing out to Claire Danes<\/a><\/strong>. She also was forced to quit Pixar’s Brave<\/em> because she couldn’t master the Scottish accent required to bring Merida to life.<\/p>\n

24. She kept most of Elle Woods’ iconic wardrobe from the Legally Blonde<\/em> franchise<\/a>.<\/p>\n

25. Witherspoon helped spearhead the Time’s Up movement by texting and emailing all of her close friends and colleagues in Hollywood before pushing all the women to get in one room and consolidate the conversations into a plan of action. She also found the designer who would create the movement’s now iconic logo and pin design,\u00a0which debuted on the red carpet at the 2018 Golden Globes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n

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A version of this story was originally published on Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 3:38 p.m. PT.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

EOL Staff
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reese Witherspoon & Will Ferrell Reveal the Most Surprising Thing About Each Other (Exclusive) Honestly, is\u00a0there anything\u00a0Reese Witherspoon \u00a0can’t do? Trick question.\u00a0 Though she’s not a Gemini vegetarian and we’re unclear how comfortable she is using legal jargon in every day life, the multi-hyphenate is still one of the most powerful women in Hollywood.\u00a0Ever since\u00a0she<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":840152,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[756,43],"tags":[9141,5160],"class_list":{"0":"post-840151","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-secrets","8":"category-these","9":"tag-secrets","10":"tag-these"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=840151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/840152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=840151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=840151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=840151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}