Hey, Campers!
Today’s blog post features Reese Witherspoon who, at one point, was a summer camper at Camp Monterey—a camp for girls in Tennessee. It wasn’t long after her experience at summer camp that she landed her first feature role as the female lead in the movie ‘The Man in the Moon’. She was only fifteen when she starred in it.
That same year she made her way onto television for the cable movie Wildflower. Appearing in roles here and there throughout the rest of the nineties, she hit a pivotal point for her career in 2001, playing the role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and then again two years later in Legally Blonde 2.
Reese has been in other box office hits such as Sweet Home Alabama, Twilight, and she won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, BAFTA, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role alongside Joaquin Phoenix for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in the biopic Walk the Line.
Reese has seen success since she turned seven when she was selected to be a fashion model for a florist’s commercial. This gave her the motivation to take acting lessons and eventually pursue her acting career.
She’s known to be expressively proud of her Southern upbringing that taught her responsibility, good manners, and “a sense of family.” She’s also known to be a method actor in her films. That means that she tries to act out her roles in her own everyday life—not just in front of the camera.
It’s easy to see that Reese is very passionate about her acting career. When she starred in the movie, Election, she may have played her character too well. After receiving a rank on the list of 100 Greatest Film Performances of All Time, she found it difficult to find work. She even commented about her struggle, “I think because the character I played was so extreme and sort of shrewish—people thought that was who I was.”
Several years ago, Reese started her own company called Hello Sunshine which has put out several acclaimed television series. She also produced the films Gone Girl and Where the Crawdads Sing which were both adapted from novels. Forbes Magazine listed her among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019 and 2021. Wildly successful, Reese Witherspoon is one of Hollywood’s timeless actresses.
Until next time, Campers!
- John