Reese Witherspoon: Hollywood's richest self-made actress, divorce shocks the entertainment industry

Entering the entertainment industry at a young age, Witherspoon has evolved from a teenage movie star to a Hollywood blockbuster actress, businesswoman, book club founder and fashion line owner.

God doesn't usually give everyone everything, but it seems that Reese Witherspoon is an exception. Anyone who is jealous will immediately use her background as an excuse: her father is a wealthy ear, nose and throat specialist, her mother is a professor with a lot of support - after all, what could be better than growing up in a family like that?

In contrast to that view, fans will use Reese's successes as a counterattack: she is the owner of 53 prestigious film awards spanning more than 2 decades of her career, overthrowing "Pretty Woman" Julia Roberts to become the highest-paid woman in Hollywood with a salary of 29 million USD at the age of 29.

Even if you think Reese's 5'10" frame is a fatal flaw, it really doesn't matter, because American men agree that she is one of the most attractive women (or at least they all thought so in 2005). So, what doesn't Reese Witherspoon have?

On October 30, 2006, the world got its answer. Her representative announced to the media that her client and her husband Ryan Phillippe were divorcing. The reason for the breakup was that Ryan had cheated on his wife.

Reese Witherspoon Career

In the 2000s, the world came to know Reese Witherspoon for her role as lawyer Elle Woods in the hit comedy Legally Blonde. With her blonde hair, striking fashion sense, and boundless optimism, she became a symbol of femininity and intelligence.

But few people expected that the image of the "blonde lawyer" would be the stepping stone for a genius businesswoman who built a media empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars from just one simple hobby: reading books.

Break out of the star shell

Reese Witherspoon was born in 1976 and started her acting career very early. She soon became famous for her stunning beauty, long blonde hair, and model-like body. The role that brought her to international stardom was Elle Woods in the hit comedy Legally Blonde. With the image of an optimistic, intelligent, and determined blonde, she became a symbol of femininity and strength, admired by audiences around the world.

In 2005, Reese Witherspoon proved her acting chops extended beyond comedies when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as June Carter Cash in the musical biopic Walk the Line.

However, in a competitive and highly selective place like Hollywood, Reese Witherspoon is no longer the priority of many directors. The career of the beauty born in 1976 stagnated when she no longer received good scripts. Reese Witherspoon also realized that Hollywood lacked deep and multi-dimensional stories for women. Not sitting still waiting for good scripts, the actress decided to take action: create them herself.

In 2012, she founded the production company Pacific Standard (which later merged to become Hello Sunshine). Her goal was clear: “to put women at the center of every story.” This was not just a business goal, but also a personal mission. The company quickly found success in bringing two blockbusters, Gone Girl and Wild, to the big screen, receiving positive feedback from both audiences and critics.

Building a hundred million dollar "empire" from books

A seemingly simple hobby of reading has unexpectedly become the key to Reese Witherspoon's success. In 2015, she expanded her media empire by founding Reese's Book Club. This club supports emerging writers and shares their works with members.

Above all, Reese Witherspoon's goal is to find good scripts from the book club. Authors who join the club must agree to sell the copyright to adapt their scripts to her film production company. With this model, Reese Witherspoon has a rich, diverse source of good scripts instead of waiting like before.

The process of adapting books from Reese's Book Club is also easy because they have been tested in terms of content and public reaction. The club has 3 million followers, and 42 of the 50 selected works have made the New York Times Best Seller list - meaning that future film versions have a certain audience. A series of famous films have been born from this model such as Out There Where The Shrimps Sing, Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, Little Fires Everywhere...

This model is not only beneficial to Reese Witherspoon, but also to book authors. Young, unknown writers are welcome, as long as their work is good. The profits from the work help these writers stabilize their lives, even buy houses and cars. One writer shared that she was the first person in her family to buy a house from the profits from participating in Reese's Book Club. When she sent a photo of the house keys to Reese Witherspoon, the actress was so touched that she burst into tears.

Rising to the throne of Hollywood's richest self-made actress

In 2021, Hello Sunshine was acquired by Blackstone. Although the deal was not made public, sources in the financial industry shared that the "blonde lawyer's" company was valued at $900 million (about 23,600 billion VND). Although Reese still holds an 18% stake and continues to run the company, this deal has put her in a completely new position. She is no longer just a talented actress, but has become a globally influential businesswoman.

With an estimated personal fortune of $440 million (over VND11,500 billion) after this deal, Reese Witherspoon officially became the richest self-made actress in Hollywood history, far surpassing many of her peers. Her success is proof that, with the right vision and a genuine passion, an actress can do more than just act. She has used her influence to create a small revolution in the film industry, bringing more opportunities to female writers and filmmakers and building a new future for Hollywood.

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