Reese Witherspoon has been a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood for decades. Known for her peppy charm, her blonde good looks, and her ability to dish out a smart quip, Witherspoon has appeared in a wide variety of projects over the years. Still, to many of her fans, her work in the romantic comedy genre is her true claim to fame — and these days, the actor is back in the game, with a brand-new Netflix movie that has fans and critics buzzing.
Witherspoon has never held back, telling many amusing stories over the years. In a recent interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Witherspoon opened up about one role that she did not get, admitting that her own nerves kept her from getting a role in the critically-acclaimed film.
What is Reese Witherspoon best known for?
Witherspoon was born in Louisiana in 1976, and started acting by the time she was a teenager. She got her big break in 1991, in the coming-of-age drama The Man in the Moon. Witherspoon impressed critics with her open, honest performance, and she quickly went on to land a series of roles in high-profile movies such as Pleasantville, Cruel Intentions, and Election.
In 2001, Witherspoon landed the lead in the comedy Legally Blonde. The film, and the role of Elle Woods, marked a turning point for her career. Critics realized that Witherspoon was equally adept at comedy as she was with drama, and she became one of the most popular romantic comedy actors of the decade.
Over the years, Witherspoon was able to sustain her popularity, her star rising higher than ever — and according to IMDb, she has won multiple awards, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.
What did Reese Witherspoon say about missing out on a role in ‘Cape Fear’?
While Witherspoon has acted in many high-profile films, there’s at least one big movie role that she didn’t land. In a recent interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she opened up about the reason why she didn’t get a part in the 1991 movie Cape Fear.
“I remember one of the very first auditions I ever had was with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese for a movie called Cape Fear,” Witherspoon told Kimmel. “I didn’t get it. I’m not in that movie because I got so scared when I walked in the room; I didn’t know who Robert De Niro was, so I was standing outside talking to the receptionist, and she was like, ‘You know he’s the most important actor of our time right?’”
Witherspoon went on to recall how her nerves got the better of her after that, which caused her to mispronounce one specific word. “He had to finish the lines for me,” she said, noting that she can’t recall exactly what the word was. “And then I auditioned for him ten years later, and I thought, ‘He’s never going to remember that I bricked that audition,’ and he was like, ‘I remember you; you’re the one who couldn’t say the word.’”
Reese Witherspoon has a brand-new film on Netflix
Obviously, bombing the audition for Cape Fear didn’t hold Witherspoon’s career back — and these days, she doing better than ever, with a role in an all-new Netflix film, Your Place or Mine, opposite Ashton Kutcher. The movie, which features performances from supporting players like Tig Notaro and Steve Zahn, is now available to watch on the streaming platform, so fans who want to catch Witherspoon in all of her romantic comedy glory can indulge in some humor and heart.
