“I want to make optimistic stuff”: Reese Witherspoon on movies she prefers doing

Washington [US], October 24 (ANI): American actor and film producer Reese Witherspoon opened up about her obsession with comedy during a panel discussion at Hello Sunshine’s inaugural Shine Away Event in Los Angeles, adding that she isn’t meant for darker projects as “People like to see me do light movies,” reported People.

“I came to this realization, and I’m sure you guys are going to find this shocking: I’m not meant to be doing dark, heavy, intense, heavy horror, gore, darkness movies,” Witherspoon told the event’s attendees. People like to see me do light movies. And I was like, okay. And it’s not always like — it doesn’t put you in the cool kid club a lot. I don’t care,” she said.

“I don’t want to be in the cool kid club. I really don’t,” she added. “I want to make optimistic stuff that makes girls excited to be women in this world because it is a wonderful thing to be a woman in this world,” added Witherspoon.

Even while Witherspoon has acted in darker, more serious roles (Election, Wild), she is best renowned for her comedy work with films like ‘Legally Blonde’ and her most recent Netflix rom-com, ‘Your Place or Mine’ alongside Ashton Kutcher.

Witherspoon has even maintained a lighthearted tone in her recent writing work with her Busy Betty children’s books, the most recent of which she published on October 3.

Hello Sunshine’s experiential fan event Saturday offered a variety of panel discussions and interactive activities with various authors, athletes and Witherspoon’s friends like Jennifer Garner and Mindy Kaling, reported People.

While Kaling, 44, acknowledged that she primarily aims “to entertain” when working on a film or television project, she concurred with Witherspoon’s evaluation of “light” material.

“When people talk about romcoms or chick flicks in these things that are considered light, it’s because they star women,” she said. “And that’s how we’ve always been sort of subjugated and relegated to that. When I make shows I want to entertain. That’s my primary objective.”

“I think a lot of people come to this space, they look at me and I’m such an ‘other’ in so many categories, but I come first to my job as an entertainer,” Kaling added.

During another panel discussion at the event, Garner, 51, mentioned her close relationship with Witherspoon. She recalled how Witherspoon supported her while she was “going through a very public, very hard moment in my life” during a pregnancy.

Garner did not specify the difficult life moment she was referring to, but she did go on to share her and Witherspoon’s experiences working out together that eased her through the difficult time.

“[Reese] was right there and the way I needed to get through it was dance cardio,” Garner said. “And I danced cardio-d so hard, we broke her foot, but she kept going! It was like, okay, we worked out at seven on vacation, we’re going to work out again at two. She was like, ‘I’m going to be there. I’m going to be there,” reported People.