And the winner is..
Well, I don't think Reese Witherspoon winning Best Actress at the Oscars last night surprised anyone did it?
I, for one, was delighted. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Reese and she has made some wonderful films over the years that have brought me great entertainment. It's hard sometimes to remember she is still only 29 - it seems like she's been around forever.
It seems particularly fitting that the award has come just after Reese has overtaken Julia Roberts as the highest-paid actress in Hollywood (she will earn $30 million for appearing in Our Family Trouble).
I remember seeing her in a film for the first time quite well. My friend Matt and I were a bit bored one rainy day, so we decided to go to the video store and rent a film. We chose Fear, a low budget thriller in which Reese starred alongside Mark Wahlberg. Neither of us had seen her before, and we were so smitten we went back to the video store to see if there were any other films with her in! There were - we rented Freeway and watched it the same day.
For me, the hallmark of a good actor or actress is the ability to play different characters with equal aplomb. It's hard for me to think which of Reese's many roles I have liked the most - the innocent virgin in Cruel Intentions, the obnoxious over-achiever in Election or the ditzy blonde in Legally Blonde (the execrable sequel being probably the only blemish on her record thus far).
Another thing I like about Reese is her down to earth nature - she admits having been in therapy (who doesn't have issues, she argues - fair point) and having attended marriage counselling with her husband Ryan Philippe. They have problems like any other couple, she maintains.
Most of all I like the way she never seems to bad-mouth any of her contemporaries. If she speaks publicly about anyone else it always seems to be complimentary. I remember seeing on a documentary about Britney Spears how chuffed the pop princess was that Reese had said something nice about her in a magazine. “That made my day,” Britney proclaimed. Also, I was very impressed to read somewhere that Reese had described working alongside Dame Judi Dench on the set of The Importance of Being Earnest as "like being in the presence of royalty".
You could argue that this is a sign of insecurity or low self-esteem on Reese's part. I like to think it is more a genuine appreciation of her profession and the people in it that she regards as her role models.
Talking of being in the presence of greatness, I have very fond memories of a day when I saw Reese in the flesh. A couple of years ago she was in Bath filming Vanity Fair. I had a day off and read about in the paper. Having nothing better to do, I jumped on a train and decided to have a look at the film set. It was a fantastic experience, seeing how they had made a part of the city look as if it were in the 19th century, as well as all the extras in their costumes. I only saw Reese from a distance – nowhere near close enough to get an autograph - but it was still very exciting.
From what she said about Dame Judi, I can only surmise that she plans to tread the boards at some point in her career, so hopefully it won’t be the only time I ever see her in the flesh.
For most actresses winning an Oscar would mark the apogee of their career. In the case of Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon, I can't help but feel this is only the beginning.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000702/
Copyright © Jonathan Weedon March 2006
I, for one, was delighted. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Reese and she has made some wonderful films over the years that have brought me great entertainment. It's hard sometimes to remember she is still only 29 - it seems like she's been around forever.
It seems particularly fitting that the award has come just after Reese has overtaken Julia Roberts as the highest-paid actress in Hollywood (she will earn $30 million for appearing in Our Family Trouble).
I remember seeing her in a film for the first time quite well. My friend Matt and I were a bit bored one rainy day, so we decided to go to the video store and rent a film. We chose Fear, a low budget thriller in which Reese starred alongside Mark Wahlberg. Neither of us had seen her before, and we were so smitten we went back to the video store to see if there were any other films with her in! There were - we rented Freeway and watched it the same day.
For me, the hallmark of a good actor or actress is the ability to play different characters with equal aplomb. It's hard for me to think which of Reese's many roles I have liked the most - the innocent virgin in Cruel Intentions, the obnoxious over-achiever in Election or the ditzy blonde in Legally Blonde (the execrable sequel being probably the only blemish on her record thus far).
Another thing I like about Reese is her down to earth nature - she admits having been in therapy (who doesn't have issues, she argues - fair point) and having attended marriage counselling with her husband Ryan Philippe. They have problems like any other couple, she maintains.
Most of all I like the way she never seems to bad-mouth any of her contemporaries. If she speaks publicly about anyone else it always seems to be complimentary. I remember seeing on a documentary about Britney Spears how chuffed the pop princess was that Reese had said something nice about her in a magazine. “That made my day,” Britney proclaimed. Also, I was very impressed to read somewhere that Reese had described working alongside Dame Judi Dench on the set of The Importance of Being Earnest as "like being in the presence of royalty".
You could argue that this is a sign of insecurity or low self-esteem on Reese's part. I like to think it is more a genuine appreciation of her profession and the people in it that she regards as her role models.
Talking of being in the presence of greatness, I have very fond memories of a day when I saw Reese in the flesh. A couple of years ago she was in Bath filming Vanity Fair. I had a day off and read about in the paper. Having nothing better to do, I jumped on a train and decided to have a look at the film set. It was a fantastic experience, seeing how they had made a part of the city look as if it were in the 19th century, as well as all the extras in their costumes. I only saw Reese from a distance – nowhere near close enough to get an autograph - but it was still very exciting.
From what she said about Dame Judi, I can only surmise that she plans to tread the boards at some point in her career, so hopefully it won’t be the only time I ever see her in the flesh.
For most actresses winning an Oscar would mark the apogee of their career. In the case of Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon, I can't help but feel this is only the beginning.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000702/
Copyright © Jonathan Weedon March 2006
posted by Jon | 10:34 pm
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