American top-earning actress, producer, and formidable entrepreneur, there is a lot to say about Reese Witherspoon. Not only is she talented on the screen, having earned numerous accolades, she is also committed to fighting for the overlooked, and especially women. Ranked number 92 on Forbes’ list of 2020 Power Women, she is the kind of woman who knows what she wants and turns anything she touches into a success.
Born in Louisiana in 1976, she made her debut as a teenager with the movie The Man in the Moon which opened the door to her acting career. At one point, she intended to follow in her family’s academic tradition by attending Stanford University but was drawn in by Hollywood and dropped out to seriously pursue her passion for acting. Her breakthrough role came in 2001 with box-office smash Legally Blonde, marking her career’s turning point.
But, by the time she entered her 30s, the film landscape had shifted and she slowly dropped below the Hollywood radar. DVD sales had shrunk, and it was nearly impossible to find good leading roles for women. In 2012, her frustration led her to create her own production company, Pacific Standard, absorbed in 2016 by Hello Sunshine, her digital media company focusing on female-driven stories.
“I was sick of making movies where I was the only female lead on the set. I was sick of seeing scripts where there was one female role, badly written, and yet every actress in town wanted the part because there was nothing else,” she said.
She began adapting books with strong female characters into films and TV shows, with Wild, Gone Girl, and Big Little Lies being triumphant examples.
As such, she was able to carve out a space for herself and fellow actresses. She is also among the founding members of the Time’s Up movement, a charity organization dedicated to supporting victims of discrimination, harassment, and assault. She encourages women through podcasts, newsletters, YouTube videos, and her book club. She also owns a clothing company, Draper James, and is actively involved in children’s and women’s advocacy organizations.
Witherspoon has evolved from actress to producer to activist and is making a huge impact on Hollywood, ensuring that women in the industry won’t have to face the same difficulties she experienced.