Reese Witherspoon is an Oscar-winning actress. She got the coveted golden statue for her role in Walk the Line with Joaquin Phoenix. The movie, based on the life of the late singer Johnny Cash, grossed $186 million on a $28 million budget. However, Witherspoon wasn’t happy with the role that got her the Best Actress Academy Award.
The actress was especially upset after she came on set and realized what she would actually have to do in the film. It was the one thing she hated the most. To make matters worse, even her co-star, Joaquin Phoenix, wasn’t happy about the work she was putting into the film.
Reese Witherspoon Wanted To Leave The Film That Gave Her An Oscar
In 2005’s Walk the Line, Reese Witherspoon portrayed the late Johnny Cash’s wife June Carter, while Joaquin Phoenix played the famed singer-songwriter. Initially, the actress didn’t understand what portraying the role would entail. The Legally Blonde star had no idea what she would be required to do till she stepped on the set. Witherspoon didn’t know she would have to sing in the film.
The actress stated that it was the one thing she didn’t know how to do. So she tried every possible thing she could do to abandon the project. In an interview with Oprah, she said:
“It was awful. First of all, we had to learn how to sing. … The director came to us and he said, ‘I really want you guys to learn to sing, to learn to play instruments, and I want you to record an album. I absolutely was just gobsmacked! I called my attorney, my agent, my manager. I said, ‘I’ve got to get out of this. Can’t they call LeAnn Rimes? She’s good! There are plenty of people that do this for a living. I’m just an actress.'”
However, the actress ultimately didn’t leave the project. Professionals were hired by the makers of the film to improve Witherspoon’s vocals. With regular practice, her singing prowess increased and she developed the confidence to portray the role.
Ultimately, she said, “It’s good to have that kind of challenge in your life. It’s important to do things that scare you to death!” But even then, one problem remained- Joaquin Phoenix.
Joaquin Phoenix Had A Tough Time Tolerating Reese Witherspoon On Their Awarded Film
In an interview with Female First, Reese Witherspoon revealed that she and Joaquin Phoenix didn’t get along at first. In fact, the situation was so bad that they couldn’t even look at each other while filming. She said:
“It took us about three months to trust each other because we didn’t know each other at all in the beginning and we couldn’t even look at each other when we had to sing to each other because it was so embarrassing.”
The Joker star complained that Witherspoon wasn’t doing her best for the film. The actress stated that it took them more than a couple of months to get comfortable with each other. She explained:
“I’d sing too loud and he’d say, ‘It’s driving me crazy, she’s singing too loud. Does she have to sing so loud?’ I said, ‘I’m just trying here!’ It took about three months before we responded to each other’s work and saw improvement. It took a long time before we really felt comfortable with each other.”
But over time, the two actors grew supportive of each other. They comforted and helped each other during their bad days on set. It’s clear that their off-screen friendship translated brilliantly on-screen because audiences loved Walk the Line when it came to theaters.
Walk the Line is available on HBO Max.
Source: Oprah
