Reese Gets Real

The award-winning actress and producer – who runs two of her own companies – took on another role this year as a force for Time’s Up. She takes MARIE CLAIRE on a candid tour of her world

- Anne Fulenwider

REESE WITHERSPOON FIRST WONOUR HEARTS when she strutted down the halls of Harvard Law School as Elle Woods in 2001’s Legally Blonde, proving that a woman who cares about make-up and clothes can also be brilliant. We’ve followed her career ever since, from her Oscar-winning portrayal of June Carter in Walk the Line (2005) to her raw performance in Wild (2014), and, last year, we binge-watched the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning Big Little Lies. Reese produced the latter two projects, in addition to 2014’s Gone Girl, under the auspices of her relatively new production company, Hello Sunshine. Her mom once told her that if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself. So, realising the alarming and persistent dearth of meaty roles for women, Reese set out to create her own opportunities, lifting up other women along the way.

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

I get a lot of support from my husband [Jim Toth], 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 has encouraged me before I ever met her to be the best version of myself, through her book clubs and the people I saw on her show. [She’s been] an incredible advocate for me as a businesswoman.

Your latest acting project, A Wrinkle in Time, was one of the biggest films of 2018. Did you read the book as a child?