'I Feel A Reckoning'

She’s spearheaded the Time’s Up initiative and has several successful businesses under her belt, but award-winning actress and producer Reese Witherspoon doesn’t do downtime. And now she’s set to star insci-fi fantasy A Wrinkle In Time. Anne Fulenwider meets Hollywood’s powerhouse

- Anne Fulenwider

I first fell in love with Reese Witherspoon when she strutted down the halls of Harvard Law School in 2001’s Legally Blonde as Elle Woods, proving that a woman who cares about make-up and clothes can also be brilliant. I’ve followed Witherspoon’s career ever since, from her Oscar-winning portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk The Line (2005) to her raw performance in Wild (2014); I also recently spent an entire Saturday binge-watching the Emmy- and Golden Globe–winning Big Little Lies. Witherspoon produced the latter two projects, in addition to 2014’s Gone Girl, under the auspices of her production company, Hello Sunshine. Her mother once told her that if you wanted a job done right, do it yourself. So, realising the persistent dearth of meaty roles for women, Reese set out to create her own opportunities, lifting other women along the way. With 23 producing projects in the works, it’s kind of a miracle she’s also running lifestyle brand Draper James and a killer book club on Instagram. So, when I heard she’d landed a role in Ava DuVernay’s adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time, I jumped at the chance to interview her.

Anne Fulenwider: You’ve talked about how you’re proud of your ambition. Where do you get that from?

Reese Witherspoon: I get a lot of support from my husband [Jim Toth, an agent at talent agency CAA], who cares deeply about equality, and always tells me, ‘Why wouldn’t you call the person in charge of a company and have a personal relationship with them?’ He’s encouraged me to be outspoken. Oprah encouraged me, before I ever met her, to be the best version of myself through her book clubs and the guests on her show. [She’s been] an incredible advocate for me as a businesswoman.