Reese & Ava Powered By Love

The success of hit TV series Big Little Lies has catapulted Academy Award winning actress REESE WITHERSPOON back into the spotlight, not only as a producer and actor but also as a role model and champion for women. And no-one has been more influenced by the star than her own daughter, Ava. Reese talks to Suzy Maloy about motherhood, family and the comfort of home.

- Suzy Maloy

When Reese Witherspoon attended the premiere of her new film, A Wrinkle In Time, it looked like she had given her plus-one to her sister. The Hollywood powerhouse’s companion was a carbon copy of the diminutive Nashville native.

In fact, her guest was Ava, her 18-year-old daughter with Ryan Phillippe. And that premiere wasn’t Ava’s first red-carpet outing with her mother. She has, it appears, been Reese’s go-to date for the recent run of award ceremonies. She was by her side when Reese picked up an Emmy as producer of Big Little Lies. She was with her at the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards, where Reese spoke out against sexism and sexual assault in Hollywood. And Ava was with her mom when the actress received the WSJ (Wall Street Journal) Magazine’s 2017 Entertainment Innovator of the Year Award.

And while onlookers cannot help but notice their physical similarities, Reese says they are more alike in other ways. ‘I think the way Ava and I are most alike is our strong opinions and our empathy,’ says the 42-year-old star. ‘From the time that she could speak, Ava has always had her own ideas, and I love to watch her express herself.’

Ava, who in true Southern tradition debuted at le Bal des Débutantes in Paris in November, cares deeply about the world around her, says her proud mom. ‘She frequently educates me on news stories and issues young women are facing.’

In 2015 Reese added retailer to her CV and launched a clothing and houseware company, Draper James, which celebrates Southern style and was named after her grandparents, Dorothea Draper and William James Witherspoon.