[Blind Gossip] The Hollywood Reporter recently conducted a drama actress round table discussion.
From THR:
Six complex women — including Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, Jessica Lange, Elisabeth Moss and Chrissy Metz — debate the power and pain of strong females (onscreen and off-) amid a culture of discrimination in the industry and beyond.
We thought the most interesting part of the discussion was when the one and only Reese Witherspoon served up two blind items!
INTERVIEWER Hollywood likes to lock people into lanes, and there is a certain thing they want from you or a role that they expect from you. What is that role? And what are the roles you don’t get approached for but you feel like you’d be great at?
WITHERSPOON I started a production company five years ago because I was looking at maybe the worst script I’ve ever read in my entire life and it had two parts for women. I called my agents and said, “This is such a terrible script.” They said, “Well, seven women want it so … you’re the only one who’s not vying for the part.” And I thought, “God, if this is what we’ve come to, I have to get busy.” Because you can either complain about a problem or you can be part of the solution.
KIDMAN We created the show [Big Little Lies] for that reason. The other thing is, being a woman and having children, there are so many things I would want to do, but so much of my life is, how do I balance that? If I had my fantasy life, there are so many roles and places and things I’d want to do. I’m now at a point where I have to go, “What is that going to cost me? And what is that going to cost the people I love? Do I want to leave now to do this?” Men have that, but they don’t have it in the same way that we have it.
WITHERSPOON They go away and come back and they’re a hero. We go away and come back and we have abandoned our children. (Laughs.)
KIDMAN We don’t get the choices as much with our careers and our lives because a lot of it is, we have to be there to take care of everything still. Or I do. And so a lot of my fantasy life is that I can go and read a play and then I’ve done it. I then don’t have to go and actually do it because I have done it in my bedroom. And that’s what I realized at this stage of my life. That’s going to have to be enough.
INTERVIEWER Is there a way to change that paradigm?
WITHERSPOON No, that’s a choice you’re making. I was talking to this very famous actor and I said, “How did you prepare for this role?” He said, “Well, I went into the woods for three weeks and I didn’t talk to anybody.” And this person has a lot of kids and is married. And he’s like, “You did the same thing for Wild, right?” I was like, “Uh, no.” If I went away for three weeks and no one could call me, everybody would’ve had a mental breakdown. I got on a plane and was shooting within 24 hours. I wish I had prep time. I love the preparation. I love watching and reading and digging deep.
You might recall that Reese provided also provided a blind item during an interview last year (see below). Thank you, Reese Witherspoon!
Related: Reese And The Dumb Comedy
Worst Script She Ever Read:
Very Famous Actor/His Role or Film:
[Optional] Do you hope that Big Little Lies comes back for a second season?
Flanky says
Sure was alot of whining there. If you want kids, there will be sacrifices. Besides, most of them just get nannies to do most of the work.
eas12397 says
worst script 50 shades
famous actor Jared Leto (into the wild)
eas12397 says
sorry just realized that was emile hirsch
amagod121 says
Worst script: dunno
Famous actor: Bradley Pitt.
greenEggsNspam says
Worst script: anything M. night shamalan has made after The Sixth Sense
Actor: Brad Pitt?
iknoweverything says
No idea on the script, but I think the very famous actor is Viggo Mortensen for his role in Captain Fantastic.
lucasj says
Worst Script She Ever Read: No sweet clue.
Very Famous Actor/His Role or Film: Leo Dicaprio
[Optional] Do you hope that Big Little Lies comes back for a second season? I enjoyed it, but I think it told the story it needed to tell in one season.
lucasj says
Sorry, for The Revenant.
lcondon says
Worst Script She Ever Read: No clue
Very Famous Actor/His Role or Film: Maybe Liam Neeson – The Grey?
Reggie5561 says
Worst Script I have no idea
Famous Actor Brad Pitt (maybe)
Big Little Lies has to come back.
CeeSaw says
Tom hardy, the revenant? I’d say Leo, but no keep kids. No idea on bad script.
lovefifteen says
The terrible script is almost certainly A Million Ways to Die in the West based on other clues that Witherspoon has given. There was actually an investigative article about it on Vulture.
gingersnaps says
I’m assuming the worst script ever is A Million Ways To Die In The West, and the actor who spent three weeks on his own was Matt Damon, to prepare for The Martian?
Conchord says
Worst Script She Ever Read: “Hot Pursuit.”
Okay, I’m kidding. I’ll guess “The Heat.”
Very Famous Actor/Role: I have no idea. I was thinking it was Tom Hardy (The Revenant), but I did some searching and apparently he didn’t have much time to prepare.
JoshuaTree says
Worst script has been believed to be A Million Ways to Die in the West. She pegged the timeline on it in previous interviews and that other Oscar winners wanted in on it. Charlize Theron ended up with the part opposite Seth McFarlane.
Matthew McConaughey for the actor for that Sea of Trees movie?
catheca says
Script: 50 shades?
Actor: Matt Damon?
I have no idea on either
I hope Big Little Lies stays one season, it was good as it is. Leave it alone.
MaryQuiteContrary says
Worst Script She Ever Read: Vacation
Very Famous Actor/His Role or Film: Leo/ The Revenant
Khadafi says
Worst Script She Ever Read: A Million Ways to Die in the West
Very Famous Actor/His Role or Film: Matthew McConaughey “Mud”
BunnieBoo says
Very famous actor: Brad Pitt
No idea about the movie role
Germanicus says
I have no clue, but the bottom line is that they don’t write good roles for women over 40 because those movies don’t sell tickets. I commend her for starting her own production company, but has this changed anything? Are there spools of film stock being ordered to accommodate this huge rush of female over 40 movies that she’s pushing out? No.
Look, it’s life. it is what it is. It’s not a male conspiracy. Some women manage to break through (think Helen Mirren). Others like her…
blinkandyoumight says
+10000000
Neduardo says
I heard that actresses over 40 don’t sell tickets either Germanicus! I guess that people must not realise that Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Anniston, Amy Adams, Judi Dench………..are over 40 then?
KatarinaJ says
Yeah you are feeding into a huge stereotype that movie execs tell themselves. Who do you think comes out for these baby boomer rom-coms with Diane Keaton, Alec Baldwin etc?
scriptguy says
This is one of the most intellectually lazy comments I’ve ever read, Germanicus. And given that we’re on a celebrity gossip site, that’s saying something.
kimmukwest says
Worst script: no idea
Very famous actor/his role:. Leo DiCaprio for The Revenant
prettyehch says
Leo doesn’t have any kids, though. Well, not any he’s publicly admitted to having. 😉
I’m thinking McConaughey. They’ve worked together, he’s got several (three?) kids, and he seems to be a little bit Method. Going into the woods sounds like him.
NikkersUK says
Leo has no kids though?
plumplum says
I thought about Matthew McConaughey for the indie movie Mud. He plays a hermit who meets 2 kids.Reese plays his former lover
sabrina325 says
Actor: Matthew McConaughy?
dizzygirl says
optional.. aging, hands down.
Men are better looking as they age, and women are, too. Hollywood just continues to serve up plastic faces or women half the age of the men. Give me Kathy Bates, or a great character actress any day of the week.
Samra1116 says
Kathy Bates is one of the best actress there is.. I love her on the family that prey, her Lawyer show on TV. But nothing compares to misery, she played her part to the tee.
yenta75 says
Worst script: A Million Ways to Die in the West
Actor/Film: Matt Damon/The Martian