Reese Witherspoon
Interview By: Dan Portnoy
DanielPortnoy@TheCinemaSource.com
Great smile, great personality, great ability. These are just a few of the things that describe actress Reese Witherspoon. Sure, I could spend time making a list, but let's get down to what you really want instead. In person, Witherspoon is just as you would imagine her to be, charismatic with a great sense of humor. You can even hear remnants of her southern upbringing in the way she speaks, making her portrayal of June Carter in this year's Walk the Line that much more genuine.
In Walk the Line, audiences get to see Reese Witherspoon from a completely different angle. Through her, the character of June comes to life making her performance one of the film's major highlights. Walk the Line tells the story of the life of country music legend Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix). It depicts his gradual rise from rags to riches, back to rags then onto riches once again. The film places much of its focus on the relationship between Johnny and June during both the good times and bad. It was not so much about their life after marriage than it was leading up to it. Their love, honest and pure, gave Walk the Line a boost in a category most other rock and roll biography's lack, an interesting love story.
For Reese, getting the chance to be able to play June was a blessing. 'I feel very lucky to be able to get a chance to do this, it's sort of like a dream come true for me.' Ever since she was a young girl Reese always had a special place in her heart for country music. 'Growing up in Nashville Tennessee, I loved country music. It was the first thing I wanted to be when I was six years old; I wanted to be a country music singer.' Well obviously those dreams didn't pan out, but fortunately for her she got do the next best thing; be an actress playing a country music singer.
Preparation for the part of June was no easy task. 'It was a lot of studying their performances and doing the best we could.' Intense recording sessions, long hours of research and rehearsal and minimal sleep. Not to mention, going into the project Reese was under the impression that she didn't actually have to sing. 'I was sure I was gonna have Leanne Rhymes sing my part.' Boy was she wrong. Director James Mangold urged Reese to give singing a shot, if she really was as bad as she thought, then they could talk about dubbing over her voice. But try she did, and sing she could. Don't believe me ye of little faith' Check it out for yourselves, you'll be blown away.
Her first time recording music, Reese was scared beyond belief. 'It was terrifying to be so out of your comfort zone.' But like any fear, the more you confront it, the more comfortable you're likely to get. Such was the case with Reese who came into her own after the first couple rehearsals. 'Everyday we took voice lessons'I took autoharp lessons'We recorded for four hours everyday for almost five months.' That's the kind of dedication that went into the making of this film. The film's co-star, Joaquin Phoenix was no slouch either and constantly burned the midnight oil. 'Joaquin and the guys, they literally practiced every day. They'd do a twelve hour shooting day or fourteen hour shooting day and then they'd go home and practice more. It was really thrilling for me to see that kind of conviction.'
Walk the Line is a powerful film that centers itself on the life of one of the world's most intriguing personalities. When you watch Joaquin and Reese, you think your watching Johnny and June. You identify with their troubles, rejoice in their moments of triumph, and watch as the characters grow. 'It is a story about their early life and finding themselves as adults.' And they do, just like most people eventually do, but it was getting there and following them on their journey that was the exciting part.
As for Reese Witherspoon; well she has no shortage of work. That much I can tell you. Three films in the works are enough to keep anyone busy. But as for now, we have Walk the Line and June Carter to give us our Witherspoon fix. And with that I have no complaints.
