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Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon reveals being pressured into filming a romantic scene with Mark Wahlberg in a film nearly 30 years ago despite refusal.
In an interview with Harper's Bazaar on July 12th, Reese Witherspoon shared about the dreadful experience while filming Fear (1996). In the movie, the blonde star portrayed Nicole Walker - a teenage girl in love with a boy unaware of his psychotic nature.
Reese disclosed being coerced into filming a steamy scene with co-star Mark Wahlberg in the project directed by James Foley and written by Christopher Crowe.
“I had no control over it. The script didn't specify what would happen, so I think the director came up with that scene. Then, he asked me right on set if I wanted to do it, and I said ‘No.’ It wasn't a particularly great experience,” the 47-year-old actress recounted.
The scene referred to by Reese is the one where Nicole Walker engages in intimacy with her boyfriend on a roller coaster when they are on a date at the amusement park.
Unlike the smooth and satisfying portrayal of characters on screen, Reese regrets being thrust into such a difficult situation when she was so young, only 19 years old.
The star of Legally Blonde asserts that recounting the past is not about seeking any sympathy. She simply wants to highlight one of the unpleasant experiences that helped shape her today.
“I'm certainly not damaged or harboring any other negative thoughts, but something formed in my head. It made me understand where I stood in the filmmaking hierarchy. I think it's one of the stories that made me want to become an agent of change and someone who can be in a better leadership position to tell stories from a women's perspective, rather than from a male perspective,” she emphasized.
According to Reese, being coerced into filming intimate scenes was one of the motivations for her to establish her own media and film production company, Hello Sunshine.
Nowadays, Reese is no longer the young woman being arbitrarily placed. She has become one of the most powerful actresses in Hollywood. She holds more control, and her voice carries weight.
Through Hello Sunshine, Reese aims to usher in a new era where women are provided with an environment to excel and succeed.
That mindset helped her achieve unexpected success. In August 2021, Hello Sunshine was sold to Candle Media, a company led by former Disney CEO Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, for $900 million.
During the interview, Reese also mentioned her divorce from her longtime husband, Jim Toth. The two announced the end of their marriage through a joint statement in March.
While not a happy story, the Big Little Lies beauty finds some solace in having control over her own private life, not having to passively confirm after someone else leaks the news.
The Hollywood couple, married for 12 years, share a son, Tennessee. Reese also has a daughter, Ava, and a son, Deacon, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe.
Reese Witherspoon, born in 1976, is a renowned American actress. She entered the industry in 1991, gaining fame through numerous films such as Legally Blonde , Sweet Home Alabama , Big Little Lies… Particularly, with Walk the Line , she won both the Golden Globe and Oscar for her performance.
As reported by Harper's Bazaar
