Reese Witherspoon stuns fans by revealing her real name

7 Jun 2024

Yahoo News Canada

Reese Witherspoon has shocked her fans by revealing she chose a stage name and she isn't actually called Reese.

Reese Witherspoon - Figure 1 — Photo Yahoo News Canada

The Legally Blonde protagonist explained the reason why she always calls her Big Little Lies pal Laura Dern by her last name in a chat with their co-star Nicole Kidman.

When Kidman pointed out that calling the Jurassic Park star Dern was "weird", Witherspoon offered an excellent justification.

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Related: Laura Dern gives update on Big Little Lies season 3

"I hate how you call her Dern," Kidman shared in a video interview for Vanity Fair.

"I'm gonna tell you why..." Witherspoon, whose name is Laura Jeanne Reese, said, adding: "Cause my name is Laura,"

"And her name is Laura, and it's confusing to me," the star said as Kidman had a moment of realisation.

"My real name is Laura Jeanne," Witherspoon continued, to which Kidman replied: "That's right."

"Cause we can't both be Laura," the Little Fires Everywhere star then joked.

Reese Witherspoon - Figure 2 — Photo Yahoo News Canada

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The two actors also reflected on being unsure about how Big Little Lies would be received whilst they were filming the HBO hit show.

Witherspoon recalled an incident that made her realise that perhaps the cast weren't exactly tonally aligned at first. She and Dern had a conversation about being "funny" during their sequences, while Kidman seemed to be on a more dramatic register.

Speaking with Dern back then, Witherspoon told her she'd be "so funny" in her scenes, adding: "Then I went to work today and Nicole's in the most serious drama I've ever seen."

It seems that Kidman also noticed the difference as she laughed and said, "That's right."

"I was like, 'This show is not gonna work,'" Witherspoon said, "And it frickin' worked."

"That's where you go, you just don't know it," Kidman agreed. "Who would've ever thought?"

The show, also starring Zoë Kravitz and Shailene Woodley, ended up being extremely popular and got a second season, despite being originally billed as a limited series. Last year, it was confirmed that a third instalment is on its way nearly five years after season 2 aired its finale.