Reese Witherspoon used to want to be Dolly Parton when she grew up.

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon

The 'Sweet Home Alabama' actress has always been a huge fan of the country singer and even felt she shouldn't have to take part in school sports lessons because they had no baring on her future ambition.

Speaking to Dolly for the new issue of America's InStyle magazine: "When I was probably five years old, I wanted to be Dolly Parton. I was skipping around the blacktop at school by myself, and my P.E. teacher said, 'Why aren't you playing the game [with the other kids]?'

"I said, 'Well, I'm not going to play the game because, Ms. Wright, I'm going to be Dolly Parton when I grow up.' "

Last year, the 40-year-old actress - who has children Ava, 17, and Deacon, 13, with her ex-spouse Ryan Phillippe and son Tennessee, four, with her husband Jim Toth - launched her own clothing line, Draper James, and is enjoying the "challenge" of doing something new.

She said: "It's a new chapter for me starting a business, going around passing the hat, and promoting it all over the place. It's a different experience, but I'm enjoying learning something new.

"I've been acting for about 25 years, and I still love it, but I like the challenge of trying something else too."

And Reese wants her collections to appeal to women who have their own "unique" sense of style.

She added: "I find there are a lot of people talking about New York and Los Angeles, but there's a whole world out there in between, and that's who I like to tell stories about and make products for - people who love the life they have and have a sense of style that's uniquely their own."

Tagged in