birthdays: Reese Reese Witherspoon (info)

Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976 at Southern Baptist Hospital (now Memorial Medical Center) in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is the second child of Mary Elizabeth "Betty" (Reese) and Dr. John Draper Witherspoon, Sr. Her father was a military surgeon specializing in ear, nose and throat. Her mother was a Registered Nurse who later became a Ph.D in pediatric nursing. Reese spent the first four years of her life in Wiesbaden, Germany, where her father served as a lieutenant colonel in the US Army reserves. Shortly after, John moved the family back to the States, settling in Nashville, Tennessee.

Reese was introduced to the entertainment industry at a very early age. At age 7, she began modeling. This led to appearances on several local television commercials. At age 11, she placed first in a Ten-State Talent Fair.

In 1990, she landed her first major acting role in Robert Mulligan's Verano en Louisiana(1991). Her role as a 14-year old tomboy earned her rave reviews. Roles in bigger films such as Jack el Oso (1993) and Un lugar muy lejano (1993) followed shortly after.

Following high school graduation in 1994 from Harpeth Hall, a Nashville all girls school, Reese decided to put her acting career on hold and attend Stanford University where she would major in English literature. However, her collegiate plans were shortly dashed when she accepted roles to star in two major motion pictures: Pasión obsesiva (1996) alongsideMark Wahlberg and Sin salida (1996) with Kiefer Sutherland. Although neither film was a huge box-office success, they did help to establish Reese as a rising starlet in Hollywood and open the door for bigger and better film roles. Those bigger roles came in movies such as Pleasantville (1998), Election (1999) and Crueles intenciones (1999).

Her breakthrough role came as Elle Woods in the 2001 comedy Una rubia muy legal(2001). The movie was huge box-office smash and established Reese as one of the top female draws in Hollywood. The next year, she scored a follow-up hit with Sweet Home Alabama (2002) which went on to gross over $100 million dollars at the box office. In 2006, she took home the best actress Oscar for her role as June Carter Cash in theJohnny Cash biopic En la cuerda floja (2005). In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Reese continued to star in more romantic comedies such as Como en casa en ningún sitio(2008) and ¿Cómo sabes si...? (2010). In December 2010, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Off the screen, she was married to Ryan Phillippe from 1999 to 2007. They met at her 21st birthday party and subsequently worked together in Crueles intenciones (1999). They have two children: a daughter, Ava Elizabeth (born 9 September 1999) and a son, Deacon (born 23 October 2003). In March 2011, Reese remarried talent agent Jim Toth. - IMDb Mini Biography By: SteveG

Spouse
Jim Toth (26 March 2011 - present) (1 child)
Ryan Phillippe (5 June 1999 - 13 June 2008) (divorced) (2 children)

Trade Mark

Mostly plays chipper-type women convinced of their own successful destiny

Trivia
Majored in English Literature at Stanford University; on leave from her studies as of 1996.

Shortly after she started acting, she had an audition for a role in El cabo del miedo(1991). She was supposed to meet with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese for the audition, but at the time did not really know who they were. On the plane, she was talking to the man next to her about her audition, and the man started to rave to her about De Niro and Scorsese. This made her so nervous that she completely blew the audition and the role eventually went to Juliette Lewis.

Refused the lead roles in two horror movies: Scream: Vigila quién llama (1996) andLeyenda urbana (1998).

Was considered for the role of Juliet in Romeo y Julieta de William Shakespeare (1996), which went to Claire Danes.

Her mother, Betty, has a Ph.D. in pediatric nursing and her father, John, is a surgeon.

Chosed as one of People magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People of 2001".

Named one of E!'s "Top 20 Entertainers of 2001".

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World (2002).

Attended Harpeth Hall School, a private school for girls in Nashville, Tennessee.

She runs a production company called "Type A Films" with Debra Siegal

Has appeared at #22 in Entertainment Weekly's Most Powerful List.

She won the "Ten State Talent Award" at the young age of 11.

She was a cheerleader in high school and a debutante.

Reese is her mother's maiden name.

Has moved her production company, Type A Films, to Universal Pictures. Has signed a two-year first-look production pact with Universal. The studio has already picked up a romantic comedy pitch, Sports Widow (2010), for her to star in and produce.

She appeared in a television commercial when she was 7 for a local Nashville florist.

Has been named one of Rolling Stone's "People of the Year" along with Eminem and Kelly Osbourne.

She lived in Wiesbaden, Germany, as a young child.

Her Gap ad appeared on a six-story-high building on Sunset Boulevard.

Named one of E! 2002 "Entertainers of the Year".

Her daughter, Ava, is named after her ex-husband, Ryan Phillippe's, grandmother.

Steve Dontanville from the William Morris Agency is still her agent. They got together after Verano en Louisiana (1991).

She has English, with smaller amounts of Irish, Scottish, and Welsh, ancestry. She is said to be a relative of John Witherspoon, a Gifford, Scotland-born Presbyterian minister who attended Haddington Grammar School, obtained his Master's degree from Edinburgh University in 1739, and was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence.

Her wedding ring is an early 1990s Neil Lane, Asscher-cut-diamond, and there are only a few like it in the world.

Has an older brother: John D. Witherspoon.

Ranked #1 on E!'s Hollywood's Hottest Blondes (2003)

As extra credit for a high school class, she worked as an office production assistant for the film El demonio vestido de azul (1995). Director Carl Franklin paid homage to her by featuring Una rubia muy legal (2001) in the film A contrarreloj (2003).

She collects antique linens and is crazy about old embroidery.

Ryan proposed to her in December 1998 while the couple was vacationing at The Planter's Inn in Charleston, South Carolina.

As a child, she appeared in her local Sunday paper modeling kids' track suits and such. She said that it was creative for her. She was paid $50 a day.

Started children's acting classes at a community college at the age of seven. She was taking adult acting classes by the age of nine.

Her son is named after former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Deacon Phillippe, a distant relative of her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe.

She was a gymnast for seven years when she was younger.

Chosen as "Favorite Female Film Star" by People magazine (2004).

Neither she nor her ex-husband, actor Ryan Phillippe, use their real first names - Reese's first name is Laura, Ryan's first name is Matthew.

Was the first person to host Saturday Night Live (1975) after the September 11 terror attacks.

Was approached by a few companies to record music after she provided her own singing voice for En la cuerda floja (2005).

Has appeared in four movies bearing the names of songs: Jack el Oso (1993), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Ojalá fuera cierto (2005) and En la cuerda floja (2005).

She donated many items to Rocky Stone to be given to less fortunate kids as part of the Toy Mountain Campaign.

The year she won her Oscar for En la cuerda floja (2005), her ex-husband Ryan Phillippeappeared in the movie that won Best Picture, Crash (2004).

Her performance as Tracy Flick in Election (1999) is ranked #45 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

Dyed her hair brown for her role as June Carter Cash in En la cuerda floja (2005).

Ranked #40 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement.

Is the second actress to win the best actress Oscar for portraying a female singer in a biography; the first was Sissy Spacek for Quiero ser libre (1980).

The dress she wore at the Golden Globe Awards in 2006 was also worn by Kirsten Dunstat the Golden Globe Awards in 2003.

Distant cousin of Daniel Morton

Ranked #34 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement.

Announced on October 30, 2006 that she has separated and would file divorce papers against her husband, Ryan Phillippe, after seven years of marriage.

Best friends with Selma Blair, Chelsea Handler and Renée Zellweger.

Was originally cast in the lead role in Bunny Lake Is Missing (2012), but backed out a few weeks before shooting began.

Filed for divorce against husband, Ryan Phillippe, on November 8, 2006.

Is a vegetarian.

Mentioned in the song "High School Never Ends" by Bowling for Soup, as "the prom queen".

(August 1, 2007) Named the first-ever Avon Global Ambassador and will serve as the Honorary Chairman of the Avon Foundation.

Was named highest-paid actress in Hollywood by The Hollywood Reporter in 2007.

In 2007, Forbes magazine estimated her earnings for the year at $7 million.

Is one of 13 actresses to have won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance. The others in chronological order are Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich (2000), Renée Zellweger for Cold Mountain (2003), Helen Mirren for La reina (2006), Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls(2006), Kate Winslet for El lector (2008), Mo'Nique for Precious (2009), Natalie Portmanfor Cisne negro (2010) and Octavia Spencer for Criadas y señoras (2011), Anne Hathawayfor Los miserables (2012), Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine (2013), Patricia Arquette forBoyhood (Momentos de una vida) (2014) and Julianne Moore for Siempre Alice (2014).

Campaigned for the role of Christine Collins in El intercambio (2008), but lost the role toAngelina Jolie.

Was in a relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal, having met him on the set of Expediente Anwar (2007) (January 2007-November 2009).

Auditioned for the role of Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins (2005), but Katie Holmes was cast instead.

Was considered for the role of Amy Stanton in El demonio bajo la piel (2010), but Kate Hudson was cast instead.

(December 1, 2010) Was awarded the 2,425th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame byJames L. Brooks and James Mangold, accompanied by her children, Ava and Deacon Phillippe, and boyfriend Jim Toth.

(December 28, 2010) Announced her engagement to boyfriend Jim Toth, having been in a relationship with him since February 2010.

Married Jim Toth on March 26, 2011, in a marquee on her ranch in Ojai, California, wearing a custom-designed gown by Monique Lhuillier, before 120 guests. Eighty white doves were released just moments after the couple said "I do".

Her bridesmaids at her wedding included her best friend Heather Rosenfield, daughter Ava Phillippe, and her two young nieces.

Amongst the guests at her wedding were Renée Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maguire, Robert Downey Jr., Alyssa Milano, Isla Fisher, Selma Blair and Salma Hayek.

Has played Robert Pattinson's mother in La feria de las vanidades (2004), but his scene was cut from the end product. In Agua para elefantes (2011) the two of them play lovers.

She was honored with the MTV Generation Award at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards, being the second female in the history of the show to receive the award, following Sandra Bullock who received the award one year earlier.

Rushed to the hospital after being hit by a car on September 7, 2011 while jogging in Santa Monica, California. Was treated for minor injuries before being sent home. Received a quarter-inch scar on her forehead that she hides with her bangs.

Won the Academy Award for Best Actress, in 2006, for playing June Carter Cash in En la cuerda floja (2005). Funnily enough, Witherspoon had already played another Carter family member before; she played Mother Maybelle Carter (June Carter's mother) in her fourth grade play.

Revealed in the 84th Academy Awards montage that her favorite movie is Un mar de líos(1987).

Gave birth to her 1st child at age 23, a daughter Ava Elizabeth Phillippe on September 9, 1999. Child's father is her 1st husband, Ryan Phillippe.

Returned to work 4 months after giving birth to her daughter Ava in order to begin filming her guest appearance on Friends (1994).

Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 27, a son Deacon Reese Phillippe on October 23, 2003. Child's father is her 1st husband, Ryan Phillippe.

Returned to work 8 months after giving birth to her son Deacon in order to begin filmingEn la cuerda floja (2005).

Gave birth to her 3rd child at age 36, a son Tennessee James Toth on September 27, 2012. Child's father is her 2nd husband, Jim Toth.

Was 8 months pregnant with her son Tennessee when she completed filming onCondenados (2013).

Considers Meryl Streep's performance in La decisión de Sophie (1982) as the greatest female performance of all time. Witherspoon also states that she was influenced by Streep.

Returned to work 7 months after giving birth to her son Tennessee in order to begin filming La buena mentira (2014).

Was arrested for disorderly conduct on April 19, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia after her husband, Jim Toth, was arrested for suspicion of DWI.

Honoring Dolly Parton, of whom she is a huge fan, at the Kennedy Center Honors TV special aired on December 26, 2006. [December 2006]

Debut of her perfume, "In Bloom" by Avon (2009).

Was the 128th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar forEn la cuerda floja (2005) at The 78th Annual Academy Awards (2006) on March 5, 2006.

She has worked with three actors who have played comic book characters. She worked with Tobey Maguire who played Spider-Man. She worked with Tom Hardy who played Bane and she worked with Christian Bale who played Batman.

Her favorite films include Esplendor en la hierba (1961), Un mar de líos (1987), Lo imposible (2012), Bad Grandpa (2013) and El gran hotel Budapest (2014).

Her parents separated in 1996 when she was age 20. They still remain close.

Performs the audiobook version of Go Set A Watchman, the sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird. In Como en casa en ningún sitio (2008), she appears with Sissy Spacek; who performed the audiobook of To Kill A Mockingbird; and Robert Duvall, who played Boo Radley in the film.

Is one of 14 actresses to have won both the Best Actress Academy Award and the Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical Golden Globe for the same performance; hers being for En la cuerda floja (2005). The others, in chronological order, are: Judy Holliday for Nacida ayer(1950), Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins (1964), Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl (Una chica divertida) (1968), Liza Minnelli for Cabaret (1972), Glenda Jackson for Un toque de distinción (1973), Diane Keaton for Annie Hall (1977), Sissy Spacek for Quiero ser libre(1980), Cher for Hechizo de luna (1987), Jessica Tandy for Paseando a Miss Daisy (1989),Helen Hunt for Mejor... imposible (1997), Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare enamorado(1998), Marion Cotillard for La vida en rosa (Edith Piaf) (2007), and Jennifer Lawrence forEl lado bueno de las cosas (2012).

Co-founded the film production company "Pacific Standard" with Australian partner Bruna Papandrea in 2012. First books optioned were, "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn and "Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found" by Cheryl Strayed.

Is just 9 years younger than Laura Dern, who played her mother in Alma salvaje (2014).

Personal Quotes
[on having a baby]: Obviously, this isn't the time in my life that I would have chosen to do this, but I feel like life gives you these challenges for a reason. I feel so happy and glad to be in the place that I am. I really feel blessed. This is something I need to face and take control of.

[on how she choose the films she will be in]: I have a weird process, but the main thing is like this: I hear her voice in my head. There are a lot of wonderful scripts my agents can't believe I pass on, but I do because I can't hear the voice. It doesn't appeal to me then. I'm really careful. Unless I hear the voice, I can't do it.

[on Ryan Phillippe]: I'm lucky to find a person to share my life, and the best friend I'll ever have.

[on motherhood and her baby]: I feel good, I'm proud of Election (1999) and very proud of this [her child]. It couldn't be a better time. It's always the right time when it happens. You make it the right time.

[on Pleasantville (1998)]: We were thrilled for just the three nominations we got, but obviously it's a little sad. I went through so many press junkets with people saying they loved it. And Joan Allen was robbed but she can't get nominated every year. She's an inspiration for every young actress. She has that calm and reserve about herself and makes you think she appreciates the normal things of everyday. Then she transforms into this character that's so different.

[on the movie business]: The battles that we face in this business aren't financial, but they are moral. And I certainly think that the longer you can keep your values, and your morality intact, and keep your head on your shoulders about what is important at the end of the day, you can get the most out of this business and really emerge with something wonderful.

I grew up in Tennessee. We didn't know what Louis Vuitton was. I had to order all my prom outfits out of catalogs.

People want to try and move you into a place where you can be easily identifiable by every woman in America - to be this very likable woman in a romantic comedy. And it's really hard for me. I just don't see myself as the girl that everybody likes. I never have been and I don't know how to be that person.

As far as being in the spotlight and under public scrutiny, a lot of that's about how much you put yourself out there. It's not like we go to every premiere and every celebrity function and every charity auction. We really just try to maintain our privacy and never let our public persona get out of hand.

I'm not perfect! I'm human. I make mistakes. But I try to be as conscious as I can about things I should be. If I'm going to do something commercial and mainstream and made for the masses, I just believe you can make those kinds of films with quality - and good ideas and good intentions. There's a lot of negativity out there.

While making Una rubia muy legal 2 (2003), I had like 50 outfit changes. It was great! I'm real into the whole "girlie" thing, it was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it.

Attending an all-girls school has its advantages, there are no inhibitions. You can walk to school with your zit cream on and your hair in rollers and nobody cares.

It's nice to come home to what's real. - E! Revealed with Jules Asner (2001)

[on husband Ryan Phillippe] I don't think I can imagine a better guy than the one I've ended up with.

There's something timeless and important about making people laugh, about being the right spot in their day. - as quoted in the December 7, 2004 issue of Woman's World.

I was thinking about why I make movies, and I know why. Life is hard. It's nice to go escape and have a good time at the movies. If I can give people a movie about hope, love and the future, then I've done my job.

I do think things were meant to happen. I'm just this little girl from Tennessee, and here I am today. I think a lot of things are just out of your hands.

[When asked about the ways she is discriminated against] I get discriminated against in three ways: I get discriminated against because I'm blond, I get discriminated against because I'm an actress and I get discriminated against because I'm from the South.

[on trying to get out of the role of June Carter Cash in En la cuerda floja (2005)] I did. I called my attorney. My agent. My manager. I said, "You know y'all, you're serious about this?". I'm really. I gotta get out of this. Like, can't they call LeAnn Rimes? I mean she's good.

[on doing her own singing in En la cuerda floja (2005)] The director came to us and he said "No, I really want you guys to learn to sing. To learn to play instruments and I want you to record an album." and that is what... and I just absolutely was just gob-smacked and I said, "I don't know. I can't do that." And he said, "Well, I want you to try." Now that's the thing for me. If someone asks me to try, I will always try.

Life isn't just about you: It's about family and friends and giving back. - as quoted in Woman's World magazine 2-21-06.

[on dual careers and marriage]: Marriage and family come before everything. You don't want to make a movie at the cost of your relationship.

I feel like there's a race being run for some unattainable goal - to be the best, the skinniest, the most beautiful. I just admit that's what I'll never be.

What gets me is how many women - young women - give up their power and sense of self. Thinking they're going to get more out of life if they take off their clothes and objectify themselves, instead of functioning on the principle that they're smart and capable, that you can be an actress and not be on the covers of T&A magazines. I'm flabbergasted by how many legitimate actresses do that. It blows my mind.

(Part of her Oscar speech) I am so blessed to have my family here tonight. My mother and my father are here. And I just want to say thank you so much for everything, for being so proud of me. It didn't matter if I was making my bed or making a movie. They never hesitated to say how proud they were of me. And that means so very much to a child. So thank you, Mom and Dad. I want to say thank you to my wonderful husband and my two children who should be going to bed. And thank you for loving me so much and supporting me. And I want to say that, my grandmother was one of the biggest inspirations in my life. She taught me how to be a real woman to have strength and self respect, and to never give those things away. And those are a lot of qualities I saw inJune Carter Cash. People used to ask June how she was doing, and she used to say -- "I'm just trying to matter." And I know what she means. You know, I'm just trying to matter, and live a good life and make work that means something to somebody. And you have all made me feel that I might have accomplished that tonight. So thank you so much for this honor.

I think everyone has their own set of problems, and sometimes I feel I'm in the middle of the biggest challenge of my life just trying to maintain normalcy in a kind of crazy lifestyle.

I'm pretty conservative or old-fashion, I should say, it's how I grew up. I think you have to let your children be individuals, but you have to set boundaries. Ryan and I have similar ideas about all of it, you really have to support you partner in the things that are important to them and hold the line together.

Many people worry so much about managing their careers, but rarely spend half that much energy managing their lives. I want to make my life, not just my job, the best it can be. The rest will work itself out.

I have cellulite. I have stretch marks. I feel intimidated by Victoria's Secret. Hollywood is one of those endless competitions, but it's like running a race toward nothing. There's no winning. You're never going to win the pretty race. I just want to be the best version of myself that I can be.

I feel like there's a race being run in Los Angeles for some unattainable goal - to be the best, the skinniest, the most beautiful. I just admit that that's what I'll never be. (Marie Claire - September 2005)

I don't think these women are stupid. I think they're selling a personality that's very marketable: Wouldn't it be fun if we were all gorgeous and didn't have a care? But creating a cultural icon out of someone who goes, "I'm stupid, isn't it cute?" makes me want to throw daggers at them! I want to say to them, "My grandma did not fight for what she fought for, and my mother did not fight for what she fought for, so you can start telling women it's fun to be stupid." Saying that to young women, little girls, my daughter? It's not okay. (Marie Claire - September 2005)

I feel there are certain people who are systematically ripping [feminism] down because of their lack of regard and their ignorance about what the women before us had to go through. (Marie Claire - September 2005)

What gets me is how many women - young women - give up their power and their sense of self. Thinking they're going to get more out of life if they take off their clothes and objectify themselves, instead of functioning on the principle that they're smart and capable, that you can be an actress and not be on the covers of T&A magazines. I'm flabbergasted by how many legitimate actresses do that. It blows my mind. (Marie Claire - September 2005)

I'm wary of what goal I set, because then I'll have to accomplish it. (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennett)

[on being criticized after admitting she and then-husband Ryan Phillippe have gone to couples therapy] Since when is self-improvement a negative? Why wouldn't I be interested in psychology? I like to read a lot of psychology books. I'm obsessed with child behavior; I would love to be a child psychologist. (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennett)

[on how she handles people who disagree with her] I've learned the art of ignoring people. When people give you some piece of direction you don't like, you just nod and ignore it. Just don't do it! Most people want to be heard and acknowledged, anyway. Just do what you want to do. (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennett)

[on struggling to be taken seriously in the industry] Even now, people want to marginalize me. They want to attribute all my success to teenagers seeing my movies. I really resent it when people say, "It's just a genre film; it's a teen comedy." It takes a lot of work to make these things have heart and resonance so they're not just empty, disposable confections. But I don't give a damn about other people's perceptions, because I'll show them. For women in this business, ascendancy is always a battle. It's scrape and claw. I just try to stick to my guns and respect myself. I want to take the ingénues aside and say, "Value yourself! It's okay if you have opinions!". (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennett)

[on asserting herself, even with her employers] They want people they can push around. I was the girl who was always asking, "Why? Yeah, I know you want me to do that - but why?". I always thought people wanted to hear my opinions. ns] But I gave them anyway. It's just blind self-confidence. I get like a little terrier about things. My mother says I should have been an attorney. (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" byLeslie Bennett)

[on the harsh standards played on women by Hollywood] It's one of those endless competitions, but it's like running a race toward nothing. There's no winning. You're never going to win the thin race. You're never going to win the pretty race. You're never going to win the smart race. You're never going to win the funny race. I just want to be the best version of myself I can be. (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennett)

I like work. If it's not hard enough, I try to make it harder. I like the process of being daunted by it, tackling it, and knowing I can do it (Vanity Fair - September 2004 - "Regally Blonde" by Leslie Bennett)

[on roles resembling the title character in Penelope (2006)] I like this girl because she is a bit of a badass. I grew up watching movies with people like Barbara Stanwyck and, sometimes, I get frustrated that there aren't a lot of great female characters out there that young women can look at and go, "I want to be like that." I go to movies and yell at the women on-screen, "Shoot him; just shoot him." I mean, why does the guy always have to shoot him?

When I was a question on Jeopardy! (1984), that's when I felt famous.

There's always going to be somebody younger or sexier. That's why I like to say, and it's become my famous line, "Funny doesn't sag.".

[on storing her Oscar] I have it out [at home] with the kids artwork... I think it's great when they hold it and dress it up.

When a police officer tells you to stay in the car, you stay in the car. I learned that for sure.

I clearly had one drink too many and I am deeply embarrassed about the things I said. It was definitely a scary situation and I was frightened for my husband, but that is no excuse. I was disrespectful to the officer who was just doing his job. I have nothing but respect for the police and I'm very sorry for my behavior.

People want to make you easily identifiable with every woman in America, to be this very likable woman in a romantic comedy. And it's really hard for me. I just don't see myself as the girl everybody likes. I never have been and I don't know how to be that person.

[on the Academy Awards] It's funny that it all becomes about clothes. It's bizarre. You work your butt off and then you win an award and it's all about your dress. You can't get away from it.

If you are not yelling at your kids, you are not spending enough time with them.

[on Johnny Depp] -- have to say probably Johnny Depp in Nuevos policías (1987). I just had a really major crush on him. I used to pull pictures out of Teen Beat and put them on my wall. I don't think he knows. I'm not sure it would faze him: I'm sure he's heard that quite a bit.

My grandmother was a quintessential southern lady who didn't leave the house without being somewhat put together. She taught me it doesn't matter what's going on in your life, you've got to show your best self to the world.