Reese Witherspoon Reveals Why Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton Are Her ‘Heroes’

Looking back on her earlier years in Hollywood, Reese Witherspoon said she credits fellow actresses Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton for standing up against societal expectations placed on women. So much so, the Morning Show star recently gushed that she even considers the Hollywood icons two of her heroes.

“I always had a thing about exploiting sexuality. When I came up in the business, there were all these men’s magazines we were told to cater to,” Reese, 43, explained in the April 2020 issue of Vanity Fair. “I was never in Maxim. I was never picked as a GQ girl, and I’m OK with that, because that’s not how I wanted to be viewed. That’s not how I see myself.

The Legally Blonde star explained she wanted to be remembered by her talent, not just her looks. “I always say, ‘Funny doesn’t sag,’” she joked. “I always just wanted to be funny, you know? And you can’t be rendered obsolete if you just keep being funny.”

Reese then dished that she has always been inspired by Goldie and Diane, both 74, as well as Holly Hunter and Nancy Meyers, because they were known for being “smart and funny” in Hollywood. “Guess what gets rendered obsolete?” she countered. “Your boobs go south, your face goes south, your ass goes south, but you can always be funny. And those are my idols, my heroes.”

The Big Little Lies star’s confession comes as no surprise considering Reese and Goldie have always been known to have a tight bond. At the Overboard star’s Hollywood Walk of Fame induction in May 2017, Reese shared the sweetest words during her tribute speech — all while sporting an “I Love Goldie” button!

“I am literally her biggest fan,” Reese gushed onstage at the time. “Really, if you don’t believe me, my very first e-mail was overboard@aol.com.” Aww!

The blonde beauty even revealed why she’s adored the Snatched actress all these years. “Since the first time I saw her on screen, Goldie has just inspired me,” Reese marveled. “She’s taught me to want more out of my life, and she’s taught me to want more out of my career. I became a producer because of her. She changed the possibilities of what women can do in film.”