Reese Witherspoon didn’t have “control” over her life until she was in her 30s.
Reese Witherspoon at The Morning Show premiere
The ‘Sing 2’ star has been in the spotlight since she was a teenager, and has said being a child actor meant other people had more control over her life than she did before she reached her breaking point at the age of 34.
She explained: "I had a whole moment when I was about 34, where I started to realize I was letting other people be in a lot of control over my life and I didn't feel comfortable with it. I felt like I needed to take control of my career back.
“Because as a child actor, you just have a different relationship with your representatives. And then I had grown up and I had all the relationships with the heads of studio and all of that, but I wasn't making any of the phone calls or taking my career into my own hands. So that, something flipped for me around [age] 34, 35."
And since carving out her own path – which includes founding the Hello Sunshine production company in 2016 – the 45-year-old actress now feels “better” about her ability to take on “positions of leadership”.
She added: "I feel better about stepping into positions of leadership. Because I have been doing this for 30 years, I do know what I'm doing. I can get on a set and pretty much tell you what's happening. And I'm really proud of the fact that I'm a really good problem solver.
“Part of what is so beautiful about our business is every single movie is this giant collaboration, and you're only as good as the team that you're on. So, I really enjoy that teamwork. And it's great to see now women leading those teams."
Reese also touched on the COVID-19 pandemic, as she said staying at home for over a year has given her a new perspective on further career goals.
She told People magazine: "I think I'm even more appreciative because of that time off during the lockdown, the pandemic, it gave me time to kind of refocus about what I want to do. What do I really want to put out in the world? What do I really want to achieve?"
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