Reese Gets Real

The award-winning actress and producer who runs two of her own companies takes on another challenge as a force for Time’s Up. This month, as Reese Witherspoon stars in sci-fi fantasy A Wrinkle in Time, we take a look inside her universe

- Anne Fulenwider

ANNE FULENWIDER: You’ve talked about how you’re proud of your ambition. Where do you get that from?

REESE WITHERSPOON: I get a lot of support from my husband [Jim Toth, an agent at CAA], who cares deeply about equality and always tells me, “Why wouldn’t you call the person in charge of a company and have a personal relationship with them?” He’s encouraged me to be outspoken. Oprah has encouraged me before I ever met her to be the best version of myself, through her book clubs, the people I saw on her show. [She’s been] an incredible advocate for me as a businesswoman.

AF: I’m obsessed with A Wrinkle in Time. I read it with my daughter about a year ago, and I was blown away. I hadn’t read it since I was probably 11. Did you read it as a child?

RW: I read it in sixth grade, and I just loved it. I thought I was Meg Murry. I didn’t really know where I fit in in the world. I knew there were bigger ideas than the place I lived, and it gave me this idea that I could accomplish things or that I could be part of a bigger story. The book is very empowering for young children—they have the opportunity to change their world by changing their own minds and knowing that even if you are surrounded by darkness, you are able to summon the light.

AF: I love that lesson, which gets me to something that is all over the news: sexual harassment. There’s no industry that hasn’t been touched by it. Brave people have raised their voices, and now we’re witnessing a sea change and growing momentum in this movement. Have you been surprised by the fact that stories of sexual harassment have come out about so many more industries than Hollywood?