Reese Witherspoon has portrayed many iconic characters throughout her Hollywood career. However, she didn’t always feel strong and confident in her abilities.
In a new interview, the actress remembers pushing herself beyond her limits. Although it was a rough period in her life, she feels tremendously proud of the results that came from it.
Reese Witherspoon Worked Herself to the Breaking Point in 2018
While speaking with “The Founder Mindset” podcast, actress Reese Witherspoon discussed hitting a massive wall during her career.
After a wildly successful career, she once hit her breaking point in Hollywood. Witherspoon was filming “The Morning Show,” “Big Little Lies,” and “Little Fires Everywhere” at the same time in 2018. The rigorous filming schedule took quite a toll on her physical and mental health.
“In 2018, I was making three television shows at once and I don’t know if people understand this, but each television show takes six months to make,” the actress recalled. “So they were stacked on top of each other.”
“So in the morning, I’d go be dressed as Bradley Jackson, change my clothes, run to another soundstage, be Madeline Martha Mackenzie in ‘Big Little Lies’ and then go do a night shoot with Kerry Washington on ‘Little Fires Everywhere,'” Witherspoon explained.
In the end, it was more than she could bear.
“I wanted to lay down sideways and melt into the earth. I just cried and cried and cried. And I had done it to myself,” the “Legally Blonde” star described the painful chapter of her life. “But it all worked out. And you can do really, really, really hard things.”
Witherspoon Courageously Started Hello Sunshine
GettyReese Witherspoon shares her daughter, Ava Phillippe, with her ex-husband, actor Ryan Phillippe. Around 2011, she grew tired of surface-level parts for women in movies and television. She knew she could use her platform to create a better world.
“I saw a world where my daughter was watching television shows that really made women look terrible… overly sexualized or desperate for a man’s attention,” Witherspoon shared in the podcast interview. “Competition shows that really value how you look instead of the content of your character. And I realized if I felt like that as a mom of a 13-year-old I’m sure lots of people feel this way.”
Witherspoon went on to launch her own production company, Hello Sunshine.
“Hello Sunshine aims to broaden perspective and empower women by giving them authorship, inspiring agency, and creating a platform to help them shape culture and the world around them,” the website description reads.”
The Actress Remains Curious About Artificial Intelligence
Although artificial intelligence tools have received significant amounts of backlash in recent years, Reese Witherspoon admits she’s intrigued by the possibilities.
“Well…I’ve decided it’s TIME for me to learn more. The AI revolution has begun, and I need to learn as much as I possibly can about AI,” the actress shared in an Instagram post. “Also, FYI: the jobs women hold are 3x more likely to be automated by AI, yet women are using AI at a rate 25% lower than men on average. For instance: Do you all know how Instagram uses AI?”
However, Instagram users were overwhelmingly disappointed by the post. Many pointed out the dangers of artificial intelligence and cautioned Witherspoon against promoting it.
“The comments are doing exactly what they should be. Reese… Read the room,” one Instagram user warned. “You rely on writers, you rely on HUMANS for editing. You posting this shows you don’t support the very HUMANS who helped make you who you are today. Disappointed is an understatement.”
In an Instagram story, the 50-year-old acknowledged the controversy.
“Well, I guess my Al post got people talking. To be clear, no one is paying me to talk about this. I’m just a curious human,” Witherspoon wrote, adding that her children are learning about AI too.
“But I want to acknowledge people’s concerns, they are valid,” the “Sweet Home Alabama” star added. “I’m aware of the impact this could have on jobs across so many industries. I understand environmental concerns. I care deeply about local communities. And I have concerns about impending AGI.”
