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    Reese Witherspoon in ELLE: Humiliated by divorce and operating on fear

    By Joanna Douglas, Senior Fashion and Beauty Editor | Fashion – Wed, Mar 4, 2009 8:47 PM EST

    ELLEELLEReese Witherspoon is the blonde who has shattered stereotypes with roles as a wary prude in "Cruel Intentions, a high school over-achiever in "Election," a sorority girl at Harvard Law in "Legally Blonde" and a poor child turned ruthless society woman in "Vanity Fair." Her turn as June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line" earned her a Golden Globe, SAG and Academy Award for best actress. But that doesn't mean Reese doesn't have her flaws and weaknesses like everyone else. When it comes to her painful divorce from Ryan Phillippe, accusations of being a control freak or seeing her own face on the cover of tabloids, Witherspoon confesses to ELLE how painful and lonely life can be on the other side of the camera.

    On her divorce:     "Very humiliating and very isolating…But, by the way, if it's not painful, maybe it wasn't the right decision to marry to begin with. Those are the appropriate emotions. When people get in your face and say, 'This will pass,' you think, Are they crazy? I'm never gonna feel any better than I feel right this minute and nothing's ever gonna make sense again. And I still have moments where I'm like, Nothings ever gonna make sense again." 
 


    On dealing with the split: "You see a lot of people play this blame game. Blame, blame, blame. You know? And it's a really easy thing to do, and I'm certainly guilty of it. [You have to] look at yourself and go, 'What part of this do I need to own? Which part of this is my responsibility? And that's the painful work that you have to go through to hopefully get some real life knowledge out of it."

    Carter Smith for ELLECarter Smith for ELLEOn being a young mother: "When I first had Ava, I couldn't afford [help]. And it was so hard. I was out in Los Angeles, living [away from my family]. I really didn't have any friends. And I had a baby. No one else who was 22 had a baby. I couldn't go out." 
 


    On her reported Type A personality: "I don't think I'm a control freak. I think I'm just fearful. I operate from a lot of fear, like, of things being lost or forgotten or neglected. Losing the spiritual rather than the physical. It's so funny to me that somehow I've been portrayed as a very, like, closed-off or uptight person. I'm very open." 
 


    On the paparazzi:     "Fascination is gonna die off. I honestly know it. But it's just like I keep waiting and waiting, and then it's just more tabloid magazines, and it keeps going. I don't take a shower everyday. I don't put on makeup everyday. I wear a lot of sunglasses, in case you noticed."

    But it's not all work and no play for Ms. Witherspoon!

    On her boyfriend, Jake Gyllenhaal:     "He's fabulous. He really is a fantastic guy.

    On not being diet obsessed: "I'm made of cookies after the holidays. Everything inside me is made of sugar and flour and a little red wine-a lot of red wine."


    For the full story, go to ELLE.com

     

    217 comments

    • ruth
      ruth  •  3 years 2 months ago
      i like the determination, i passed thur that aswell, so brave thou she passed thru pain,
    • jasu
      jasu  •  3 years 2 months ago
      its cool,,,,reese amazing one wow....
    • Mel
      Mel  •  3 years 2 months ago
      i doubt she will ever see this but to Reese i say" i know what it's like, my husband chose drugs and the dealer over me and our baby girl, she was 3 and i got to watch her go through depression, nothing is harder and i thought it was my fault and i was imbarassed too, but i am 30 now and my gil is 6 and we are both happy, i am broke but in college and for my daughter i will never give up and we are both very happy now, the pain goes away and the fun returns, it causes a transformation in you and everything will be ok"
    • jojo
      jojo  •  3 years 2 months ago
      She is smart. Why apologize for trying to do good stuff. I guess if we never made mistakes we would not ever learn from them.
    • Meishikia
      Meishikia  •  3 years 2 months ago
      i like her especially in cruel intention, but married life is not all that you can do well single and disengage
    • Christina F
      Christina F  •  3 years 2 months ago
      She adorable
    • JGM
      JGM  •  3 years 2 months ago
      Reese is one of the few people in Hollywood I have any respect for.
    • EL INDIO ATLACATL
      EL INDIO ATLACATL  •  3 years 2 months ago
      U are beautiful and great actress.
    • Mudd Dogg
      Mudd Dogg  •  3 years 2 months ago
      Now when Jake Comes Out...Well let the Humiliation Begin...
    • James Dunn
      James Dunn  •  3 years 2 months ago
      Ms. Whitherspoon,

      We are all connected to some degree with each other (see Quantum Entanglement on any search engine); especially with those you love. Perhaps your own feelings of despair and isolation are the result of feelings your friends and family have as a result of your pain. A symbiotic relationship where these complex feelings are shared in a type of communication.

      I hope you, your family, and friends work through this period of grief with satisfying result.

      James
    • Gonzo
      Gonzo  •  3 years 2 months ago
      Damm she looks hot in that picture!
    • Private One
      Private One  •  3 years 2 months ago
      And yet she is still a hottie with a body. Clearly her ex has no idea........... A little known fact, Reese has the same last name of someone on the Declaration of Independence and they are related. It would be awesome to be in a family with history like that.
    • Tracy
      Tracy  •  3 years 2 months ago
      Divorce is gut wrenching, as when people say they devote their lives to each other forever. That's what it means, if you ask anybody that has been married for 25+ years. Its because they didn't quite and worked through the issues,everybody has them.We are all just one bad decision from the ditch, we must all keep faith.
    • casey r
      casey r  •  3 years 3 months ago
      completely agree with darnellbaker54!!! awesome pics!!!
    • Rob
      Rob  •  3 years 3 months ago
      I don't know Reese...

      ...can u handle me?

      Rob
    • ALI
      ALI  •  3 years 3 months ago
      i used this article in my blog and i hope its ok. i wanted to prove a point with it, a very valid and much needed reality checking point. http://360.yahoo.com/how_fast_how_far to check it out.
    • Esmeralda
      Esmeralda  •  3 years 3 months ago
      Dear Reese,
      I understand. I have been divorced fifteen years. It was a painful divorce, because I kept thinking maybe I jumped the gun and quit to quickly. In hindsight I am glad. It was the best thing for me. I now know who I am and what I want in life. Its not easy, but the adventure is awesome and its never boring. Lonely times come and go and the older you get, the more quiet times you seek to recharge your psyche. BTW: You look great and I pray you feel great inside and out. Blessings. :-)
    • P G
      P G  •  3 years 3 months ago
      I really like her, she seems unaffected by the hollywood persona. I wish her the best. She seems honest and open.
    • guardianangel1423
      guardianangel1423  •  3 years 3 months ago
      Reese is an amazing woman! I am an East Tennessean, and am proud of her works. Boy, if i had the chance to be her husband and make babies with her, i think i would have to Love her better than anyone else could ever imagine doing. I love her principles, value, and her sweet charm and character, they are 1st rate! I support her and believe in her, and am definitely in her corner on the issues! Her ex has a huge loss to live with the rest of his life, he will live to regret what he has done! He is definitely an ostrich! You know, head in sand, or elsewhere......
      I love ya Reese!
      Sammy
    • Harry H
      Harry H  •  3 years 3 months ago
      I agree with Albert she should not worry and fret about the divorce she is to much of a lady
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