Actress Reese Witherspoon said in a recent interview that she was forced to film an “explicit” sex scene for the 1996 movie “Fear” — opposite actor Mark Wahlberg – despite the fact that she initially told the director no.
Witherspoon explained in the interview – which was published by Harper’s Bazaar on Wednesday — that the sex scene had not actually been written into the script, so she believed it was just something the director had decided he wanted to add.
The “Sweet Home Alabama” star was just 19 when she made the film — and had requested a stunt double for anything below the waist. But she said things played out a little differently despite her objections.
“I didn’t have control over it. It wasn’t explicit in the script that that’s what was going to happen, so that was something that I think the director thought of on his own and then asked me on set if I would do it, and I said no,” she said. “It wasn’t a particularly great experience.”
Witherspoon went on to note that she wasn’t looking to call anyone out over the scene – but rather, explained that it was just one of many experiences that inspired her to pursue her current passion: supporting women and telling their stories.
“I’m certainly not traumatized or anything by it, but it was formative. It made me understand where my place was in the pecking order of filmmaking,” she said. “I think it’s another one of those stories that made me want to be an agent for change and someone who maybe can be in a better leadership position to tell stories from a female perspective instead of from the male gaze.”
Actress Laura Dern, Witherspoon’s “Big Little Lies” costar, is all in with her vision: “We’ve both had to fight for our voices and therefore hope to defend others’ voices in workplace environments. She knows how little space there is in a room. She knows that experience. And now that she has that space, she’s lifting up everyone else.”