Reese Witherspoon



Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976),[2]  professionally known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991, later that year she made her television acting debut in the cable movie Wildflower. In 1996, Witherspoon appeared in Freeway and roles in three major 1998 films followed: Overnight Delivery, Pleasantville, and Twilight. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role in 1999's Election, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

2001 marked her career's turning point with the breakout role as Elle Woods in the box-office hit Legally Blonde, and in 2002 she starred in Sweet Home Alabama, which became her biggest commercial film success to date. 2003 saw her return as lead actress and executive producer of Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. In 2005, Witherspoon received worldwide attention and praise for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line, which earned her an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

In 1999, she married actor Ryan Phillippe; the couple separated in late 2006 and divorced in October 2007. In 2011 she married talent agent Jim Toth. Witherspoon owns a production company, Pacific Standard, and she is actively involved in children's and women's advocacy organizations. She serves on the board of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) and was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007, serving as honorary chair of the charitable Avon Foundation. On December 1, 2010, Witherspoon received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is also known to be a method actor.[3]



Contents
[hide]  *1 Early life and education  ==Early life and education[edit] == Witherspoon was born at Southern Baptist Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, while her father, John Draper Witherspoon Sr., was a student at Tulane University medical school.[4] [5]  Her father is a Georgia-born otolaryngologist who previously served as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve.[6] [7]  Her mother, Mary Elizabeth "Betty" (née Reese), is from Harriman, Tennessee, has a Ph.D. in pediatric nursing, and works as a professor of nursing atVanderbilt University.[7] [8] [9]  Witherspoon has claimed descent from Scottish-born John Witherspoon, who signed the United States Declaration of Independence;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-newsindependent_10-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  this claim has not been verified by the Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence genealogists.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  Because Witherspoon's father worked for the U.S. military in Wiesbaden, Germany, she lived there for four years as a child.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tiscali1_8-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-livingscot_13-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  After returning to the U.S., she spent her childhood in Nashville, Tennessee.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tiscali1_8-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-livingscot_13-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  She was raised as an Episcopalian.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-reader.27s_digest_15-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15]
 * 2 Acting career
 * 2.1 Early work (1991–1998)
 * 2.2 Early critical success (1999–2000)
 * 2.3 Worldwide recognition (2001–2004)
 * 2.4 Walk the Line and post-Oscar work (2005–2009)
 * 2.5 "Love triangle period" and commercial struggles (2010–present)
 * 3 Other projects
 * 4 Charitable work
 * 5 In the media
 * 6 Personal life
 * 6.1 2013 arrest
 * 7 Filmography
 * 7.1 Film
 * 7.2 Television
 * 8 Accolades
 * 9 Discography
 * 10 References
 * 11 External links

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">At age seven, Witherspoon was selected as a fashion model for a florist's television advertisements, which motivated her to take acting lessons.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tiscali2_16-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  At 11 she took first place in the Ten-State Talent Fair.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tiscali2_16-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]  She received good grades in school;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tiscali2_16-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]  she loved reading and considered herself "a big dork who read loads of books."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dork_5-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]  On mentioning her love for books, she said, "I get crazy in a bookstore. It makes my heart beat hard because I want to buy everything."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-reader.27s_digest_15-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15] Witherspoon attended middle school at Harding Academy and graduated from the all-girls' Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, during which time she was a cheerleader.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-page1_18-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-talent_19-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]  She attended Stanford University as an English literature major.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-commitment_20-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]  After completing one year of studies, she left Stanford to pursue an acting career.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-talent_19-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon is proud of the "definitive Southern upbringing" she received, she has said it gave her "a sense of family and tradition" and taught her about "being conscientious about people's feelings, being polite, being responsible and never taking for granted what you have in your life."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-talent_19-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweethome_21-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  Witherspoon is described as a "multi-achiever" and was given the nickname "Little Type A" by her parents.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ambition_22-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fashion_23-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[23]  On discussing her early achievements, she told Interviewmagazine, "I just don't see any of it as that remarkable. Maybe that's the attitude I choose to have to keep me sane and keep my feet on the ground. I grew up in an environment where women accomplished a lot. And if they weren't able to, it was because they were limited by society."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-findarticles_7-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7] ==Acting career<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == ===Early work (1991–1998)<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In 1991, Witherspoon attended an open call for The Man in the Moon intending to audition as a bit player.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-talent_19-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]  She was instead cast in the lead role of Dani Trant, a 14-year-old country girl who falls in love for the first time with her 17-year-old neighbor. Her performance was regarded as "memorably touching" by Variety magazine,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fear_24-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]  and critic Roger Ebert commented, "Her first kiss is one of the most perfect little scenes I've ever seen in a movie."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-tiscali2_16-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]  For this role, Witherspoon was nominated for the Young Artist Award Best Young Actress.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-award_13th_25-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25]  Later that year, she made her TV acting debut in the cable movie Wildflower, directed by Diane Keaton and starring Patricia Arquette.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-movieyahoo_6-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-newsindependent_10-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  In 1992, Witherspoon appeared in the TV movie Desperate Choices: To Save My Child, portraying a critically ill young girl.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-movieyahoo_6-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6]  In 1993, she played a young wife in the CBS miniseries Return to Lonesome Dove and got a starring role as the leading character Nonnie Parker, a South African girl who must cross 1,250 miles (2,000 km) of the Kalahari, in the teen-aimed Disney film A Far Off Place.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-movieyahoo_6-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6]  In the same year, Witherspoon had a minor role in Jack the Bear, which garnered her the Young Artist Award for Best Youth Actress Co-star.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-award_15th_26-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[26]  The next year, Witherspoon had another leading role as Wendy Pfister in the 1994 film S.F.W., directed by Jefery Levy.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In 1996, Witherspoon was offered parts in two major movies. She appeared in the thriller Fear alongside Mark Wahlberg (whom she dated<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27] ) and Alyssa Milano, playing the role of Nicole Walker, a teenage girl with a handsome boyfriend who turns out to be a violent psychopath. She was also the leading actress in the black-comedy thriller Freeway, starring alongside Kiefer Sutherland and Brooke Shields. Her character, Vanessa Lutz, is a poor girl living in Los Angeles, who encounters a freeway serial killer on the way to her grandmother's home in Stockton.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-talent_19-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]  The film received positive reviews from the press. Among them was the San Francisco Chronicle, with Mick LaSalle commenting, "Witherspoon, who does a shrill Texas accent, is dazzling, utterly believable in one extreme situation after the other."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  Witherspoon's performance won her the Best Actress Award at the Cognac Police Film Festival and firmly established her as a rising star.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-talent_19-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  The making of the movie also gave Witherspoon significant acting experience; as she said, "Once I overcame the hurdle of that movie – which scared me to death – I felt like I could try anything."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-commitment_20-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20] Following completion of Freeway in 1997, Witherspoon took a break from acting in major movies for a year and began dating actor Ryan Phillippe. She returned to the screen in 1998 with major roles in three movies: Overnight Delivery,Pleasantville, and Twilight.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-newsindependent_10-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-spoonful_30-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  In Pleasantville she starred alongside Tobey Maguire in a tale about 1990s teenage siblings who are magically transported into the setting of a 1950s television series. She portrayed the sister, Jennifer, who is mainly concerned about appearances, relationships, and popularity. Her performance received good reviews and garnered her the Young Hollywood Award for Best Female Breakthrough Performance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]  Director Gary Ross said he firmly believed Witherspoon would be an outstanding movie star.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-commitment_20-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20] ===Early critical success (1999–2000)<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In 1999, Witherspoon starred alongside Alessandro Nivola in the drama thriller Best Laid Plans; she played Lissa, a woman who schemes with her lover Nick to escape a small dead-end town.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-movieyahoo_6-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6]  Also that year co-starred with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe in the drama film Cruel Intentions, a modern take on the 18th-century French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. The San Francisco Chronicle praised her performance as Annette Hargrove: "Witherspoon is especially good in the least flashy role, and even when called upon to make a series of cute devilish faces, she pulls it off."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]  She also appeared in a music video by Marcy Playground for the film's soundtrack. Then she starred with Matthew Broderick in the film adaptation of Tom Perrotta's 1998 novel Election.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-movieyahoo_6-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6]  For her portrayal of competitive, ambitious overachiever Tracy Flick in her race for student-body president, she received vast critical acclaim and won the Best Actress Award from the National Society of Film Critics and the Online Film Critics Society, a first Golden Globe nomination and an Independent Spirit Award nomination.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]  Witherspoon also received a rank on the list of 100 Greatest Film Performances of All Time by Premiere.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35]  Director Alexander Payne said of her, "She's got that quality that men find attractive, while women would like to be her friend. But that's just the foundation. Nobody else is as funny or brings such charm to things. She can do anything."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweethome_21-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  In spite of her successful performance, Witherspoon noted in an interview that she struggled to find work after completing the film, due to typecasting.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36] Analyzing the reasons behind her difficulty to find work, Witherspoon commented "I think because the character I played was so extreme and sort of shrewish--people thought that was who I was, rather than me going in and creating a part. I would audition for things and I'd always be the second choice--studios never wanted to hire me and I wasn't losing the parts to big box office actresses but to ones who I guess people felt differently about."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-findarticles_7-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In 2000, Witherspoon played a supporting role in American Psycho and made a cameo appearance in Little Nicky.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-spoonful_30-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  She also guest-starred in season six of Friends as Rachel Green's sister Jill.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  The next year, Witherspoon provided Serena's voice in the animated film The Trumpet of the Swan, produced by Crest Animation Productions. ===Worldwide recognition (2001–2004)<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The 2001 film Legally Blonde marked a turning point in Witherspoon's career; she starred as Elle Woods, a fashion-merchandising major who decides to become a law student in order to follow her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School. Witherspoon said about the role, "When I read Legally Blonde, I was like, 'She's from Beverly Hills, she's rich, she's in a sorority. She has a great boyfriend. Oh yeah, she gets dumped. Who cares? I still hate her.' So we had to make sure she was the kind of person you just can't hate."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweethome_21-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  Legally Blonde was a box-office hit, grossing US$96 million domestically.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mojo_38-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  Witherspoon's performance earned her praise from critics, as the press began referring to her as "the new Meg Ryan".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]  Roger Ebert commented, "Witherspoon effortlessly animated this material with sunshine and quick wit",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]  and Salon.com noted that "she [Witherspoon] delineates Elle's character beautifully".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  Meanwhile, theSeattle Post-Intelligencer concluded, "Witherspoon is a talented comedian who can perk up a scene just by marching in full of pep and drive and she powers this modest little comedy almost single-handedly."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  For her work, Witherspoon garnered her second Golden Globe Best Actress nomination and an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Following the success of Legally Blonde, Witherspoon starred in several roles. In 2002 she voiced the animated character Greta Wolfcastle in The Simpsons episode The Bart Wants What It Wants and portrayed Cecily in the comedyThe Importance of Being Earnest, a movie adaptation of the play by Oscar Wilde; she received a Teen Choice Award nomination for her performance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  Her next feature film in 2002 was Sweet Home Alabama, a movie directed byAndy Tennant. Alongside Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey, Witherspoon played Melanie Carmichael, a young fashion designer who intends to marry a New York politician but must return to Alabama to divorce the childhood sweetheart from whom she's been separated for 7 years. Witherspoon regarded this as a "personal role" that reminded her of experiences she had when she moved from her hometown Nashville to Los Angeles.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45]  The movie became Witherspoon's biggest box office hit to date, earning over $35 million in the opening weekend and grossing over $127 million in the US.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mojo_38-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46]  But critics gave Sweet Home Alabama negative reviews by critics. It was called "a romantic comedy so rote, dull and predictable" by The Miami Herald,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]  and the press widely agreed that Witherspoon was the only reason the movie attracted such a large audience.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[48] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[49]  When describing Witherspoon's role in the movie, The Christian Science Monitor concluded, "She is not the movie's main attraction, she is its only attraction."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[50]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In 2003, Witherspoon followed up the success of Legally Blonde by starring in the sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. Elle Woods has become a Harvard-educated lawyer who is determined to protect animals from cosmetics-industry science tests. The sequel was not as financially successful as the first movie and it generated mostly critical reviews. USA Today considered the movie "plodding, unfunny and almost cringe-worthy", but also noted that "Reese Witherspoon still does a fine job portraying the fair-haired lovable brainiac, but her top-notch comic timing is wasted on the humorless dialogue."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  Meanwhile, Salon.com concluded that the sequel "calcifies everything that was enjoyable about the first movie".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-52" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52]  Despite being panned by critics, the sequel took in over $39 million in its first 5 days in the U.S. box office charts and eventually grossed $90 million in the US.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[53]  Witherspoon received a $15 million paycheck for the role--a starting point to make her consistently one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses from 2002 until 2010.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sweethome_21-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-54" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[54] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[55] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[56]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In 2004 Witherspoon starred in Vanity Fair, adapted from the 19th-century classic novel Vanity Fair and directed by Mira Nair. Her character, Becky Sharp, is a woman whose impoverished childhood gives her a ruthless determination to find fortune and establish herself a position in society. Witherspoon was carefully costumed to conceal that during the filming she was pregnant with her second child.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-57" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[57]  This pregnancy was not a hindrance to her work; Witherspoon believed the gestation had in fact helped her portrayal of Sharp's character: "I love the luminosity that pregnancy brings, I love the fleshiness, I love the ample bosom—it gave me much more to play with", she said.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-telegraphindia_58-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-59" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[59]  The film and Witherspoon's portrayal of Sharp received positive reviews, as The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Nair's cast is splendid. Witherspoon does justice to the juicy role by giving the part more buoyancy than naughtiness."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-60" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[60]  At the same time,The Charlotte Observer called her work "an excellent performance that's soft around the edges" and the Los Angeles Times concluded that Becky is "a part Reese Witherspoon was born to play".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-61" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[61] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-62" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[62] ===Walk the Line and post-Oscar work (2005–2009)<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In late 2004, Witherspoon began working alongside Mark Ruffalo on the romantic comedy Just Like Heaven. Her character, Elizabeth Masterson, is an ambitious young doctor who gets into a car accident on her way to a blind date and is left in a coma; her spirit returns to her old apartment where she later finds true love.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-63" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[63]

Witherspoon at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Walk the Line in 2005<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Earlier that year Witherspoon was chosen to portray June Carter Cash, the second wife of country-music singer and songwriter Johnny Cash, in Walk the Line. She never had the chance to meet Carter Cash, as Witherspoon was filming Vanity Fair at the time Carter Cash died.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-findarticles_7-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  Witherspoon performed her own vocals in the movie, and her songs had to be performed in front of a live audience. She was so worried about needing to perform live that she asked her lawyer to terminate the film contract.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-faces_64-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[64]  "That was the most challenging part of the role," she later recalled in an interview, "I'd never sung professionally."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-65" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[65]  Subsequently, she had to spend 6 months learning how to sing for the role.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-faces_64-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[64] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-66" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[66]  Witherspoon's portrayal of Carter Cash was well received by critics, and Roger Ebert wrote that her performance added "boundless energy" to the movie.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[67]  She won several awards for her performance, including the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild, the BAFTA and the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Lead Role.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Besides critical success in the movie industry, Witherspoon and her Walk the Line co-star Joaquin Phoenix received a nomination for "collaborative video of the year" from the CMT Music Awards.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-68" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[68] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-69" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[69]  Witherspoon expressed her passion for the movie: "I really like in this film that it is realistic and portrays sort of a real marriage, a real relationship where there are forbidden thoughts and fallibility. And it is about compassion in the long haul, not just the short easy solutions to problems."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-about.interview_70-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[70]  She also stated that she believed Carter Cash was a woman ahead of her time: "I think the really remarkable thing about her character is that she did all of these things that we sort of see as normal things in the 1950s when it wasn't really acceptable for a woman to be married and divorced twice and have two different children by two different husbands and travel around in a car full of very famous musicians all by herself. She didn't try to comply to social convention, so I think that makes her a very modern woman."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-about.interview_70-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[70]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon's first post-Oscar role came in the modern-day fairy tale Penelope, co-starring Christina Ricci. Witherspoon played Annie, the best friend of Penelope, a girl who has a curse in her family. The film was produced by Witherspoon's company Type A Films and premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-faces_64-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[64] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-71" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[71]  After the final release date of Penelope was delayed twice, the movie eventually had a February 2008 release.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-72" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[72] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-73" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[73]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon was back in front of the camera in November 2006 as shooting began for the political thriller Rendition. She starred alongside Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jake Gyllenhaal, playing Isabella El-Ibrahim, the pregnant wife of a bombing suspect. Rendition was released in October 2007 and marked Witherspoon's first appearance in theaters since the 2005 release of Walk the Line.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-74" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[74]  The movie received mostly negative reviews and was generally considered a disappointment at the Toronto Film Festival.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-75" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[75]  Witherspoon's performance was also criticized: "Reese Witherspoon is surprisingly lifeless", USA Today wrote, "She customarily injects energy and spirit into her parts, but here, her performance feels tamped down."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-76" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[76]  In December 2007, Witherspoon began working with Vince Vaughn, filming the holiday comedy Four Christmases, a story about a couple who must spend their Christmas Day trying to visit all four of their divorced parents.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-77" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[77]  The film was released in November 2008. Despite only receiving average reviews by critics, the movie became a box-office success, earning more than 120 million US dollars domestically and US$157m worldwide.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-78" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[78]  Witherspoon next provided the voice of Susan Murphy, the main character in DreamWorks' computer-animated 3-D feature film Monsters vs. Aliens, released in March 2009.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-79" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[79]  In 2009, she also produced a spin-off film of Legally Blonde called Legally Blondes, featuring Camilla "Milly" Rosso and Rebecca "Becky" Rosso. ==="Love triangle period" and commercial struggles (2010–present)<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === Witherspoon at the White House in 2009 while inWashington to film How Do You Know<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">With the exception of her animated role in Monsters vs. Aliens, Witherspoon did not appear in a live-action film for two years after the release of Four Christmases. Witherspoon told Entertainment Weekly that the "break" was unplanned, stating that, "I just didn't read anything I liked...There are a lot of really, really, really big movies about robots and things--and there's not a part for a 34-year-old woman in a robot movie."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-80" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[80]  Witherspoon returned with three films in 2010, 2011, and 2012, all centered around Witherspoon as a woman caught in a love triangle between two men. In an interview withMTV, Witherspoon jokingly referred to this trio of films as her "love triangle period".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-81" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[81]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The first film was James L. Brooks's romantic comedy How Do You Know,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-82" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[82] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-83" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[83] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-84" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[84]  which starred Witherspoon as a thirty-something former national softball player who struggles to choose between a philandering baseball star boyfriend (Owen Wilson) and a business executive being investigated for white-collar crime (Paul Rudd). The movie was filmed in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. over the summer and fall of 2009<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-85" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[85] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-86" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[86] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-87" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[87]  and released on December 17, 2010. The movie was both a critical and box office failure. Despite an over-$100 million budget, the film earned only $7.6 million in its opening weekend, leading the Los Angeles Times to call it "one of the year's biggest flops".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-88" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[88]  The movie earned mainly negative reviews from critics, scoring 35% on Rotten Tomatoes with 111 reviews as of late December 2010.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-89" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[89]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon's second consecutive love-triangle movie was the film adaptation of the 1930s circus drama Water for Elephants. Witherspoon began circus training in March 2010 for her role as Marlena, a glamorous performer stuck in a marriage to a volatile husband (Christoph Waltz) but intrigued by the circus's new veterinarian (Robert Pattinson).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-90" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[90]  The movie was filmed between late May and early August 2010<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-91" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[91] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-92" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[92]  in various locations in Tennessee, Georgia, and California. It was released on April 22, 2011 <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-93" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[93]  and received mixed critical reviews,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-94" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[94]  but was a modest box office success.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-95" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[95]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In September 2010, Witherspoon began principal photography in Vancouver for the third love-triangle film, This Means War, a 20th Century Fox spy comedy directed by McG in which Witherspoon's character is at the center of a battle between best friends (played by Chris Pine and Tom Hardy) who are both in love with her. The film had a "sneak-peak" release on Valentine's Day, before fully opening on February 17, 2012.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-96" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[96] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-97" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[97] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-98" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[98] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-99" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[99] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-100" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[100]  The film was panned by critics (with a 25% Rotten Tomatoes rating),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-101" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[101]  and fared poorly at the box office, taking fifth place on its opening weekend with sales of $17.6 million. The New York Times remarked that this "extended the box office cold streak for the Oscar-winning Ms. Witherspoon."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-102" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[102]

Witherspoon at the 2012 Cannes Film Festivalpremiere of Mud<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon's subsequent films signalled a departure from the love-triangle theme. In September 2011, nearly a year after beginning work on This Means War, Witherspoon began filming Jeff Nichols's coming-of-age drama Mud in Arkansas. Witherspoon plays the supporting role of Juniper, the former girlfriend of a fugitive (Matthew McConaughey) who enlists two local boys to help him evade capture and rekindle his romance with her.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-103" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[103] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-104" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[104]  Mud premiered in May 2012 in competition for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but did not win.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-105" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[105] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-106" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[106]  Following its American debut at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2013,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-107" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[107]  the film had a limited release in selected North American theaters on April 26, 2013.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-108" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[108] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-109" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[109]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon's next film will be Atom Egoyan's same-named adaptation of the true crime book Devil's Knot, which examines the controversial case of the West Memphis Three. Like Mud, the story is set in Arkansas. Witherspoon plays Pam Hobbs, the mother of one of three young murder victims. In an interview subsequent to Witherspoon's casting in the film, Egoyan noted that although the role requires "an emotionally loaded journey", he "met with Reese, and...talked at length about the project, and she's eager to take on the challenge".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-110" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[110]  The movie was shot in Georgia in June and July 2012.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-devil_111-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[111] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-knot_112-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[112] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-devilsknot2_113-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[113] Witherspoon was pregnant with her third child during filming.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-devilsknot3_114-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[114] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-devilsknot4_115-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[115]  The movie's world premiere was held on September 8, 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-116" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[116] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-117" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[117]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In April 2013, Witherspoon began production in Atlanta on Canadian director Philippe Falardeau's upcoming The Good Lie. The film, which is based on real-life events, will feature Witherspoon as a brash American woman assigned to help four young Sudanese refugees (known as Lost Boys of Sudan) who win a lottery for relocation to the United States.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-thegoodlie1_118-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[118] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-thegoodlie2_119-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[119]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon subsequently shot a small role in Inherent Vice, an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's detective novel, inPasadena, California in summer 2013.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-120" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[120] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-121" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[121]  In September 2013, production began on the film adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-122" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[122]  for which Witherspoon is serving as a producer through her company Pacific Standard, though she will not appear in the film.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-123" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[123]  In October 2013 Witherspoon began working in Oregon on another adaptation she is producing via Pacific Standard: that of Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-124" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[124]  Witherspoon will star in this project, portraying Strayed herself on her 1000 mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-125" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[125]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Numerous other upcoming projects have been announced, including the Disney film Wish List, to be written by Glenn Berger and Jonathan Aibel and directed by Bridesmaids helmer Paul Feig,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wishlist_126-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[126]  and an adaptation of the self-help book, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-127" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[127]  Witherspoon is set to jointly star in and produce a number of additional movies under her Pacific Standard banner, including the comedy-drama Rule #1,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-128" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[128]  a film version of upcoming children's book series Pennyroyal's Princess Boot Camp,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-129" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[129]  and the comedy The Beard.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-130" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[130]  She is also set to produce another film in which she will not be starring, the raunchy comedy Wish List.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-131" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[131]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">On December 1, 2010, Witherspoon received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6262 Hollywood Blvd.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-132" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[132] ==Other projects<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == Witherspoon at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2012<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon owned a production company called Type A Films; the media once believed that this moniker honored her childhood nickname "Little Miss Type A."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ambition_22-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-133" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[133]  However, when asked about the company by Interview magazine, she clarified the name's origin: "... people think I named it after myself ... It was actually an in-joke with my family because at [age] 7 I understood complicated medical terms, such as the difference between type A and type B personalities. But I just wished I'd named the company Dogfood Films or Fork or something. You carry that baggage all your life."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-findarticles_7-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In March 2012, Witherspoon merged Type A Films with producer Bruna Panadrea's Make Movies banner to create a new production company entitled Pacific Standard.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-134" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[134]  In 2013, Witherspoon recorded a cover of the classic Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra duet, "Somethin' Stupid" with Michael Bublé for his 2013 album, To Be Loved.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-135" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[135] ==Charitable work<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon is actively involved in children's and women's advocacy organizations. She is a longtime supporter of Save the Children, an organization that helps provide children around the world with education, health care and emergency aid.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chldrn_136-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[136]  She also serves on the board of the Children's Defense Fund, a child advocacy and research group.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chldrn_136-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[136]  In 2006, she was among a group of actresses who went to New Orleans, Louisiana in a CDF project to publicize the needs of Hurricane Katrina victims.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-137" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[137]  In this trip, she helped open the city's first Freedom School, as she met and talked with the children.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-trip_138-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[138]  Witherspoon later called this an experience that she would never forget.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-trip_138-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[138]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In 2007, Witherspoon made her first move into the world of endorsements, as she signed a multi-year agreement to serve as the first Global Ambassador of cosmetic company Avon Products.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chldrn_136-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[136] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-avon_139-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[139] She acts as a spokeswoman for Avon's cosmetic products and serves as the honorary chair of the Avon Foundation, a charitable organization that supports women and focuses on breast cancer research and the prevention of domestic violence.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-avon_products_140-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[140] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-141" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[141]  Witherspoon is also committed to participating in cosmetics product development and appearing in commercial advertisements.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-avon_products_140-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[140]  Explaining her motives for joining the foundation, she said, "As a woman and a mother I care deeply about the well being of other women and children throughout the world and through the years, I have always looked for opportunities to make a difference."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-avon_products_140-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[140] ==In the media<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == Witherspoon being interviewed at the premiere of Walk the Line in 2005<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon hosted Saturday Night Live on September 29, 2001, the first episode to air after New York City was devastated by the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-142" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[142]  In 2005, she was ranked No. 5 in Teen People magazine's list of most powerful young Hollywood actors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-143" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[143]  In 2006, Witherspoon was listed among the Time 100.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-144" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[144]  Her featured article was written by Luke Wilson.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-145" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[145]  In the same year, she was selected as one of the "100 Sexiest Women In The World" by the readers of FHM.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-146" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[146]  Witherspoon has appeared on the annual Celebrity 100 list by Forbesmagazine in 2006 and 2007, at No. 75 and No. 80, respectively.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-147" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[147] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-148" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[148]  Forbes also put her on the top ten Trustworthy Celebrities list.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-149" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[149]  She was listed among CEOWORLD magazine's Top Accomplished Women Entertainers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-150" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[150]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In 2006, Star fabricated a story saying Witherspoon was pregnant with her third child, which led to Witherspoon suing the magazine's parent company American Media Inc in Los Angeles Superior Court for privacy violation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-151" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[151]  She sought unspecified general and punitive damages in the lawsuit, asserting that the claim harmed her reputation because it suggested she was hiding the news from producers of her upcoming films.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-152" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[152]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon has been featured four times in the annual "100 Most Beautiful" issues of People magazine.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-153" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[153]  In 2007, she was selected by People and the entertainment news program Access Hollywood as one of the year's best-dressed female stars.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-154" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[154] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-155" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[155]  The yellow dress she wore to that year's Golden Globe Awards was widely acclaimed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-156" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[156]  A study conducted by E-Poll Market Research showed that Witherspoon was the most likable female celebrity of 2007.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-157" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[157]  That same year, Witherspoon established herself as the highest-paid actress in the American film industry, earning $15 to $20 million per film.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-158" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[158] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-159" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[159]  In recent years, however, her appearance in a number of movies that fared badly at the box office caused a turnabout in her status and Witherspoon has been noted as one of the most overpaid actors in Hollywood in 2011 and 2012.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-160" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[160] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-161" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[161]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In April 2011 she ranked 3rd on PEOPLE's 22nd annual Most Beautiful issue.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-162" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[162] ==Personal life<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Witherspoon met American actor Ryan Phillippe at her 21st birthday party in March 1997.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-163" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[163] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-split_end_164-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[164]  The couple became engaged in December 1998<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-165" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[165]  and married near Charleston, South Carolina on June 5, 1999, at Old Wide Awake Plantation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cnn_166-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[166] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-167" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[167] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-168" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[168]  They have two children: daughter Ava Elizabeth Phillippe, born September 9, 1999,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-169" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[169]  and son Deacon Reese Phillippe, born October 23, 2003.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cnn_166-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[166]  In October 2006, Witherspoon and Phillippe announced that they had decided to separate formally after seven years of marriage. The following month, Witherspoon filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-divorce_fox_news_170-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[170]  In her petition she sought joint legal and sole physical custody of their two children, with full visitation rights for Phillippe.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-divorce_fox_news_170-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[170] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-171" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[171]  With no prenuptial agreement, the couple would be entitled to half of all assets gained during the marriage under California law, with Witherspoon's being the more significant.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-172" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[172] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-173" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[173]  Witherspoon requested that the court grant no spousal support for Phillippe, and he did not contest.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-divorce_fox_news_170-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[170]  On May 15, 2007, Phillippe filed for joint physical custody of the couple's children and made no motion to block Witherspoon from seeking support from him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ryan_seek_custody_174-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[174]  Witherspoon and Phillippe's final divorce documents were granted by the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 5, 2007.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-175" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[175] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-176" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[176]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Throughout 2007 there was persistent speculation in the mass media about a romantic relationship between Witherspoon and her Rendition co-star Jake Gyllenhaal. After her divorce was finalized in October 2007, Witherspoon and Gyllenhaal became more open about their relationship, mainly due to the release of paparazzi pictures of the couple vacationing together in Rome.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-177" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[177]  They reportedly split in December 2009.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-178" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[178]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In early February 2010, it was reported that Witherspoon had begun dating Jim Toth,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-179" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[179] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-180" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[180] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-181" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[181]  a talent agent working for the Creative Artists Agency which represents Witherspoon; in September 2010, he was promoted to one of the agency's two heads of motion-picture talent.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-182" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[182]  Witherspoon and Toth announced their engagement in December 2010<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-183" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[183]  and married on March 26, 2011 in Ojai, California at Libbey Ranch,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-184" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[184]  Witherspoon's country estate<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-185" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[185] (since sold).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-186" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[186]  Their son, Tennessee James Toth, was born on September 27, 2012.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-187" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[187] ===2013 arrest<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Early in the morning of April 19, 2013, while in Atlanta filming The Good Lie, Witherspoon and Toth were pulled over when the car in which they were traveling was seen weaving across a double line on Peachtree Street.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arrest1_188-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[188]  Toth, who was driving, was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.139 and was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and failing to maintain a lane.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arrest1_188-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[188]  Witherspoon was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for disobeying the arresting officer's instructions to remain in the vehicle and arguing with him, saying that she did not believe he was a real police officer and asking if he knew who she was.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arrest1_188-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[188] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arrest6_189-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[189]  The couple was released on bond at 3:30 AM the same morning.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arrest2_190-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[190]  Witherspoon was able to attend the New York premiere of her film Mud on April 21,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arrest3_191-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[191]  and she issued an apology later that night, stating that she had "clearly had one drink too many" and was "deeply embarrassed about the things I said...I was disrespectful to the officer who was just doing his job. I have nothing but respect for the police and I’m very sorry for my behavior."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-192" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[192]  She appeared on Good Morning America nine days later, to apologize again and gave more details about the arrest, stating that "we thought we were fine to drive and we absolutely were not" and when talking about her comments from the arrest, said “I saw him arresting my husband and I literally panicked. I told him I was pregnant. I’m not pregnant. I said all kinds of crazy things". Witherspoon said that what she did was "completely unacceptable".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-193" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[193]  When Witherspoon's lawyer and her husband appeared in court on May 2, Toth pleaded guilty and was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service, an alcohol-education program, and one year of probation; Witherspoon pleaded no contest and was fined $213.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arrest7_194-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[194] ==Filmography<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == ===Film<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === ===Television<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] === ==Accolades<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] == Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Reese Witherspoon==Discography<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[edit] ==
 * 2005: Walk the Line – solo on "Wildwood Flower" and "Juke Box Blues", duet with Joaquin Phoenix on "It Ain't Me Babe" and "Jackson"
 * 2013: To Be Loved – "Somethin' Stupid" with Michael Buble