Big Little Lies star Reese Witherspoon takes the cover story of WSJ. Magazine‘s November 2017 Innovators edition captured by fashion photographer Cass Bird. In charge of styling was Elissa Santisi, who for the session selected looks from top brands such as Burberry, Gucci, Chanel, Narciso Rodriguez, Marc Jacobs, and Jean Yu. Beauty is work of hair stylist Tamara McNaughton, makeup artist Romy Soleimani, and manicurist Lolly Koon.
“I know I’m good at things, and I’m over being bashful about it. Do basketball players have to sit there and act coy? Tell me something: Does LeBron James twiddle his thumbs and say, ‘Jeez, I’m kind of great at shooting, and I guess I’m OK at dribbling and passing’? No, he’s like, ‘I’m amazing! I rock!’ I wish more actresses had that kind of bravado.” – Reese on confidence.
“I was never going to be an actor who lives in their car because their dream was so big. [If acting didn’t work] I would have gone from Stanford to medical school and become a surgeon. Right now, I’d probably be the premier surgeon and pediatric cardiologist at Vanderbilt University. What? I’m just being honest. I’m ambitious, and I’m over hiding that.” – Reese on ambition.
“Reese is a doer. I always say to her, ‘You don’t understand how rare this is!’ To her, it’s like, ‘Yeah, now what?’ She can do it all standing on her head.” – Nicole Kidman on Reese Witherspoon.
“Laura, Nicole and I kept looking around saying, ‘We would never be on set together!’ My part is equitable to her part, which is equitable to Laura’s part, which is equitable to Shailene’s and Zoë’s.” – Reese on the sisterhood on the Big Little Lies set.
“He told me every actress in Hollywood wants one of these parts. There were [roles for] two women, and they were both deplorable, disgusting, horrible.I thought, This is my line in the sand. We women are too talented to be fighting over roles like this.” – Reese on on the impetus for creating her own production company.
“At least once a week I have a woman come up to me and say, ‘I went to law school because of Legally Blonde,’ It’s incredible. You can be unapologetically feminine but also smart and driven.” – Reese on her iconic character Elle Woods.
WSJ. Magazine’s November Innovator’s issue, Available on Newsstands Saturday, November 4th, 2017 – www.wsj.com
