| Back to Headquarters |
Real Name: Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon
D.O.B: March 22, 1976
Place of Birth: New Orleans, Louisiana
Height: 5' 2"
Husband:Ryan Phillippe
Kid(s):Ava Elizabeth Phillippe born September 9, 1999
Fan Mail:
C/O ICM
8942 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Tid Bits
�Refused the lead roles in two horror movies, "Scream" (1996) and "Urban Legend" (1998).
�Was considered for the role of Juliet in "Romeo + Juliet" (1996).
�Her mother has a Ph.D. in pediatric nursing and her dad is a surgeon.
�Is a vegetarian.
�Reese is her mother's maiden name.
�Has moved her current Production Company "Type A Films" to Universal Pictures. Has signed a 2 year first-look production pact with Universal. They have already picked up a romantic comedy pitch "Sports Widow" for Reese to star and produce in.
�She lived in Wiesbaden, Germany as a young child.
�Her daughter, Ava, is named after Ryan's grandmother.
Rumors:
FALSE: Reese was born in Nashville, Tennessee.
Reese was actually born in New Orleans, Louisiana, while her father was stationed there. Afterwards, the Witherspoons spent some time in Germany, before settling in Nashville.
FALSE: Reese's father took her to her prom when her date was a no show.
This one is actually pretty close to the truth. Since Reese went to Harpeth Hall, an all girls' school, her prom 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. But you have to admit, Mr. Witherspoon must be a cool guy if Reese was willing to use him as a back-up. Afterwards, Reese and friends decided the date's name could no longer be mentioned because of his inappropriate dating behavior. The girls' favorite slogan was "I Love Prom Date." Bet that guy feels pretty damn stupid now that Reese is a big time actress.
FALSE: Reese and Ryan met on the set of Cruel Intentions.
Most Reese and Ryan fans know this one is untrue from a mile away, but it's still rumored. Reese and Ryan actually began dating a year before they filmed Cruel Intentions, after meeting at Reese's 21st birthday party. Ryan was cast first in Cruel Intentions and Reese initially turned down the role of Annette, having just completed several movies in a row without a break. However, with the little alcohol help, Reese and director Roger Kumble were able to convince her to accept the role.
FALSE: Reese was pregnant during the filming of Cruel Intentions.
I guess people get confused because Reese and Ryan announced the pregnancy during the publicity tour for the movie. But, logically, it's just not possible. Cruel Intentions was filmed during the summer of 1998, and Ava was not born until September of 1999 - so unless Reese endured an extra three months of pregnancy AT LEAST, it just wasn't the case. The only filming that Reese did during the pregnancy (to my knowledge - haven't found out dates about when she recorded the voices for The Simpsons and The Trumpet of the Swan) was American Psycho - notice how the camera never shows her in a full-body shot unless something is blocking her middle.
Her Story:
Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her father, John, was a military doctor at the time, so the Witherspoons (including Reese's older brother, John) traveled during Reese's childhood, spending her first four years in Germany before settling down in Nashville, Tennessee. She attended Harpeth Hall, a private all-girls high school.
On a whim in 1991, Witherspoon answered a call for extras in her hometown newspaper. She so impressed director Robert Mulligan with her screen tests for a small speaking role that he later offered her the lead role - 14-year-old Dani Trant in the 1991 drama "The Man in the Moon". Reese immediately gained critical praise and became part of audiences' hearts.
Reese followed this initial success with several television roles. In 1991 she appeared in the Diane Keaton television movie "Wildflower". Next came Solomon's Choice, sometimes called "Desperate Choices: To Save My Child". Her next, and so far last, made-for-television movie role was on the CBS mini-series "Return to Lonesome Dove" in 1993.
Her return to the big screen came in the 1993 Disney film "A Far Off Place". To perfect the Bushman language she used in the film, Reese studied with a "Matabele" tribe in Africa. Although the movie received lukewarm responses from critics, Reese was now well-established in the movie industry.
Reese's next role was small compared to her two previous feature films. In the Danny DeVito film "Jack the Bear". Next came "S.F.W." in 1995.
Reese followed these roles (and box-office disappointments) with a much more commercial film "Fear". The movie made Reese Witherspoon a household name amongst teenagers, but Reese is eager not to simply exploit this success. She was offered roles in "Scream", "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Urban Legends", but declined all of them. "I did my horror film and it was not an experience I care to repeat... It had nothing to do with Mark. All that screaming and cowering and being tormented is not fulfilling." For an actress of her age, Reese shows through which projects she chooses that she is very serious about her job and her image. "In order to have longevity in this business and also to build the kind of career you want to have, to do the kinds of movies you want to do, you have to be very strategic about it." Although, in the end, she admits, the roles she chooses are the ones that she feels the need to do in her stomach.
In the independent 1996 satire "Freeway", Reese found her footing as a respected actress. A version of "Little Red Riding Hood" which highlighted the trashy and violent focus of pop culture, Reese's portrayal of Vanessa Lutz (a.k.a. Little Red) earned her the Best Actress award at the Catalonian International Film Festival and other critical praise.
In her personal life, Reese was making lots of progress as well. At home she was twice a debutante (a fact she wishes wasn't featured in every interview she does) and graduated from Harpeth Hall, an all-girls school in Nashville, Tennessee, where she wore uniforms and liked it. She deferred college for a year after high school, then studied English literature at Stanford University Stanford University in Palo Alto, California briefly before deciding to return to work. However, her busy film schedule soon caused her to put school on hiatus, although she insisted she planned on returning one day. For some time, Reese expressed doubts about whether she wanted to continue acting as a career for the rest of her life. She even seriously considered going into medicine like her parents. Now, however, Reese seems very comfortable with her life as an actress. One of her major goals for the future is to use her celebrity status for some good cause. "I would really love to have my own free clinic and do something with my celebrity." She cites Paul Newman as one of her role models because of his devotion to helping others. She got to know Mr. Newman on the set of her next film, the slow-moving drama "Twilight". Besides Paul Newman, the extremely distinguished cast included Susan Sarandon, Stockard Channing and Gene Hackman. Her role was the unruly daughter of two actors, however, the fact that she disrobed for the film caused more attention than any of the acting she did. Reese did not put much emphasis on the fact.
"Overnight Delivery", which has become a favorite among her fans, brought Reese back into the teenage genre. New Line originally planned on releasing the movie to theaters, but after very bad screenings, the movie debuted on home video.
Reese followed "Overnight Delivery" with a role in one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the decade "Pleasantville".
Off-screen, major changes in Reese's personal life began with her twenty-first birthday party in 1997. Out of three hundred guests, one in particular stood out in her mind - fellow actor Ryan Phillippe. As he tells it, he wasn't even sure he was invited but went anyway for the free beer. They hit it off immediately, but Ryan had to leave the next day to begin filming for "I Know What You Did Last Summer". It was weeks of letter-writing and phone-calling before they ever actually had their first date. Finally Reese made the decision to visit him in North Carolina and over a few days they got to know each other very well and have been together ever since. "He seemed so sincere and so not into himself. Too many young actors are so obsessed with themselves, it makes a relationship near impossible." They moved in together shortly afterwards and became engaged in December of 1998. On March 2, 1999, they announced their engagement and the fact that they were expecting a baby in Fall 1999. Although planning a wedding and pulling it off was difficult with their busy schedules, the couple was married in South Carolina at the Wide Awake Plantation on June 5, 1999. The spot was chosen because it was a halfway mark between Ryan's family in Delaware and Reese's family in Tennessee. They are currently one of Hollywood's hottest couples, although they prefer to stay away from the busy Hollywood scene.
Reese's relationship with Ryan also made a major impact on her career. When he got the part of Sebastian Valmont in the updated version of Dangerous Liaisons, Ryan asked Reese to take the part of Annette, Sebastian's innocent love interest. "A lot of things about (Reese) are so simple and pure, I knew she could play it easily," Ryan said. "Cruel Intentions" was released in early 1999 and was a success, especially among teenage audiences. Ryan and Reese were able to very convincingly bring their love for each other to the screen. However, although the couple liked working together because they were able to help each other immensely with their parts, filming was not always easy. During the break-up scene, Reese responded to Ryan's ad-libbed hurtful comments with an ad-libbed slap, which ended up in the movie.
Only a month later, Reese was back on the big screen in the critically acclaimed black comedy "Election" Reese's portrayal was practically perfect and she excelled at a genre than, when she was 16, she had said she would never tackle - comedy. "Election", with the help of writer/director Alexander Payne, presents Tracy as a multi-faceted character who is hard to hate and impossible to love. Reese even returned to high school to get into her character and was almost shocked by the amount of time students spend on their high school "careers." She stated that for her, high school was more of a relaxation time between filming, a return to normalcy. "Election" was on more than 40 top ten lists for 1999 and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Reese received many awards and nominations as well, including her first Golden Globe Nomination.
Later that year, Reese appeared in the small-budget independent film, "Best Laid Plans". A highly underrated film, Reese and co-star Alessandro Nivola, made up for some misplaced plot twists with their unspoken chemistry.
Reese and Ryan became parents on September 9, 1999 (9-9-99!), one day after Ryan's 25th birthday. Ava Elizabeth, a healthy baby girl, was eagerly accepted into their home and into fans' hearts. It took them a week AFTER the baby was born to pick the perfect name.
Both parents are adjusting well to their new jobs and have consistently shown that critics who thought they were too young to be married and starting a family were very wrong.
Reese took a small vacation from work for the second half of 1999 for her pregnancy/marriage/birth. She decided to take up acting again with a guest spot on the hit comedy "Friends." Reese played the spoiled younger sister of Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) on two episodes in February, 2000. The same week, Reese appeared in animated form for the FOX comedy "King of the Hill." She played a young adulteress who tries to have an affair with Hank and is found murdered.
Reese returned to the big screen in the controversial film, "American Psycho" in April, 2000. She played the self-centered and not-so-bright fianc�e of Patrick Bateman, a serial killer. Reese proved that she could shine in a supporting role as well as she can in the lead. The film was shot during Reese's pregnancy, so notice how the camera never shows her stomach. She also had a part in the cartoon video "The Trumpet of the Swan" based on the E.B. White book, with Jason Alexander and Carol Burnette.
Motherhood has not slowed down Reese too much. Her first bit screen role after Ava's birth was in the Adam Sandler comedy "Little Nicky", in which Reese plays his angel mother. Fans, however, didn't have to wait long for Reese to take the lead again. "Legally Blonde", released during Summer 2001, was a sleeper hit which has become Reese's biggest hit ever. Although the plot of a California blonde going to Harvard Law School to get back her ex-boyfriend is predictable and not altogether very funny, the film succeeded because of Reese's comedic ability and charm on screen. The movie surprised everyone by debuting at #1 the week it opened. With "Legally Blonde" Reese finally moved in the public consciousness and became a true Hollywood movie star, complete with the paparazzi following her every move. The film's success not only led to Reese being offered many new films, but her paychecks have finally began to recognize the fact that Reese draws people into the theaters.
Even before the success of "Legally Blonde", Reese started her own production company, "Type A Films" (named after a nickname she had because of her highly organized lifestyle), and bought the rights to make and star in two movies. One is "Slow Motion", about a college girl who has an affair with her roommate's father. The film is based on the true story of Dani Shapiro who wrote two books, one an autobiography, on the subject. The other film set for her to produce and star in is based on the bestseller "The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing". The movie will deal with the parts of the book about a woman in the publishing world who has a relationship with a much older man and has to deal with her father's terminal illness at the same time.
After filming "Legally Blonde", Reese and Ryan packed up and moved to England where they were both filming movies. Reese's role was in a version of Oscar Wilde's classic "The Importance of Being Earnest" with an all-star cast including Dame Judi Dench, Rupert Everett, and Colin Firth. This film was Reese's first attempt at a British accent on-screen. After finishing that movie, Reese returned to the States and was honored as the guest host on Saturday Night Live's first show of the 2001-2002 season. The show was produced under very unusual circumstances, following the September 11th terrorist attacks, and Reese and the cast rose to the occasion by supplying a much-needed laugh for the country.
Reese was offered many roles after the success of "Legally Blonde", including the next film she started working on "Sweet Home Alabama". The film is set in New York (and was the first film to be shot there since September 11th) about a Southern woman who moves to the city to transform herself into a socialite. Other comedies she has signed on to star in include "Honey West" an update of a '60s television show about a female private eye, and an so-far untitled comedy about women's tennis. In the upcoming Antarctica-based thriller "Whiteout", Witherspoon stars as a U.S. marshal whose self-imposed exile gets disrupted when she's asked to investigate the continent's first murder. She will also play country singer June Carter to Joaquin Phoenix's Johnny Cash in the biopic Walk the Line in 2003.
Reese is both an inspirational actor and person. She has a grace and presence beyond her years and promises to be one of the ones to watch in the future. With hit movie roles, looks and a great brain to boot, life is going very smoothly for the born actress
Filmography:
�Vanity Fair.....as Becky Sharp (2004)
�Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde..... as Elle Woods (2003)
�Sweet Home Alabama.....as Melanie Carmichael (2002)
�The Importance of Being Earnest..... as Cecily (2002)
�Legally Blonde.....as Elle Woods (2001)
�The Trumpet of the Swan (voice)..... as Serena (2001)
�Little Nicky.....as Holly (2000)
�American Psycho.....as Evelyn Williams (2000)
�Best Laid Plans..... as Lissa (1999)
�Election.....as Tracy Enid Flick (1999)
�Cruel Intentions.....as Annette Hargrove (1999)
�Pleasantville.....as Jennifer Wagner (1998)
�Overnight Delivery.....as Ivy Miller (1998)
�Twilight.....as Mel Ames (1998)
�Fear.....as Nicole Walker (1996)
�Freeway.....as Vanessa Lutz (1996)
�S.F.W......as Wendy Pfister (1994)
�Jack the Bear.....as Karen Morris (1993)
�A Far Off Place.....as Nonnie Parker (1993)
�Wildflower (TV).....as Ellie Perkins (1991)
�The Man in the Moon .... as Danielle 'Dani' Trant (1991)
