Reese Witherspoon Was Inspired by Tina Fey, Wants to Help Women in Hollywood

Actress made her comments in a Fox News Sunday interview airing on Sept. 28

By Corinne Heller Sep 26, 2014 9:21 PMTags
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Reese Witherspoon credits the work of one of the smartest and funniest female celebs as one of her biggest inspirations when it comes to dealing with other women in the entertainment industry.

In a Fox News Sunday interview set to air this weekend, the 38-year-old Oscar-winning actress praises Tina Fey's 2011 memoir Bossypants

Fey, an SNL head writer-turned-actress and screenwriter, famously showcased a satirical view of female competition in the 2004 cult comedy Mean Girls. In her book, she talks about the problem and about how women in the comedy world are often perceived as "crazy." She writes that to her, the "fastest remedy" for this is "for more women to become producers and hire diverse women of various ages," which is why she feels "obligated to stay in the business and try hard to get to a place where I can create opportunities for others."

"One of the biggest inspirations for me was reading Tina Fey's book," Witherspoon says in the Fox News Sunday interview. "It was a very—she said, you know, if I can help one other woman create something in Hollywood, I've done my job."

"And I hope to have that same goal, you know, just to create opportunities for other women to tell their stories, because women aren't just girlfriends and wives, you know, in movies, to big leading men," she added. "Those are great roles, but I feel like women are much more complex than that. And I'm excited to be able to help them get their stories to the screen."

Witherspoon, a mother of two sons and one daughter, has co-produced her own movies for years. Her current production company, Pacific Standard, helped make one her newest films, Wild, which is based on Cheryl Strayed's book and features the actress in one of her toughest roles, as well as the much-anticipated David Fincher thriller, Gone Girl, which stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.

Reagan Arthur / Back Bay Books

While Witherspoon won an Oscar for her performance as June Carter in the 2005 Johnny Cash biographical drama film Walk the Line, she is better known for her bubbly roles in two popular romantic comedies, Sweet Home Alabama and Legally Blonde, which still air repeatedly on cable. The actress' former production company, Type A Films, co-produced the latter movie's two sequels.

The actress has come a long way from her Legally Blonde days, although she did resurrect her 2001 character's iconic pink look for a VERY noble cause last month and also wore a pink top during her Fox News Sunday interview.

In Wild, which hits theaters in December, Witherspoon's character embarks on a long and dangerous solo trek as she takes time to reflect about her life and her mistakes. She also stars in The Good Lie, a drama that sees her playing a woman who helps young Sudanese refugees emigrate to the United States. The film is set for release on Oct. 3.

"You know, I have three kids, so leaving to go do a film shoot for three months, it has to be material that really moves me," Witherspoon said on Fox News Sunday. "And I really want to put interesting creative characters into the world and create opportunities for audiences to see complex women on film. So I get excited when I go to work. And I read new books. And I think about characters that are really going to change the way people think about marriage or what women are capable of bearing."

"And Wild—I've never seen a woman on film outside in the wilderness all alone. And it's a true story," she said. "But it's something I'm really proud of and I'm excited to show my daughter."

—Additional reporting by Alyssa Toomey

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