How actress Reese Witherspoon handled rejection in Hollywood
‘Other people’s opinions of me are none of my business,’ she learned early on
Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon has become adept at dealing with rejection.
The Oscar-winning actress had plenty of setbacks during her early days in Hollywood, but Witherspoon has gradually become much more philosophical about rejection, reports aceshowbiz.com.
“I think I started so young, and rejection was such an early piece of my life that I learned a long time ago that other people’s opinions of me are none of my business,” Witherspoon, 47, said at the Inbound 2023 conference.
“I really don’t care what anybody thinks. I’m gonna do my work anyway. I’m gonna date whoever I want, go hang out with a friend nobody likes. When you release that feeling of other people’s opinions crushing you or holding you down, you’re free. You’re totally free.”
Witherspoon has also learned to surround herself with strong, supportive people. She said, “Everybody out there over 40 knows. If you aren’t adding to my life, get the heck outta my life.”
Reese previously admitted to feeling frustrated by Hollywood studios, before she starred in 'Big Little Lies', the hit HBO series.
The acclaimed actress, who starred alongside the likes of Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Alexander Skarsgard, and Zoe Kravitz, helped to get the project off the ground and she admitted that it changed her career.
Witherspoon told 'The Hollywood Reporter': “I was in this position where I was making studios a lot of money, and I had for years and years, and they didn’t take me seriously as a filmmaker.”
“Somehow, they didn’t think that 25 years of experience could add up to some inherent knowledge of what movies work and how to keep them on budget. And you think about the kind of guys who come out of Sundance and get gigantic jobs off of one, like, ‘Oh, I see the potential.’"