In a new interview, the Bradley Jackson depicter of 'The Morning Show' opens up about being 'assaulted' and 'harassed' during her days as a young actress.
- March 18, 2020
AceShowbiz - Reese Witherspoon refused to be judged for telling her truth in her own time. When opening up about the assault and harassment she experienced during her days as a young actress, the Bradley Jackson of "The Morning Show" called out a female journalist who criticized her for not talking about her experiences sooner.
"I recently had a journalist ask me about it," the 43-year-old recalled in an interview for the April issue of Vanity Fair. "She said, Well, why didn't you speak up sooner? And I thought, that's so interesting to talk to someone who experienced those things and then judge them for the way they decide to speak about them."
The "Big Little Lies" star went on to share her belief that everyone has the right to tell their story in their own time when they are ready. That was why, she admitted that "the shame that [the journalist] tried to put on me was unreal, and then she wrote about how selfish I was for not bringing it up sooner."
On why she didn't tell her story sooner, Witherspoon explained, "There wasn't a public reckoning 25 years ago when this stuff happened to me. There wasn't a forum to speak about it either. Social media has created a new way for people to express themselves that I didn't have. That's the great strength in power and numbers."
"I think we have a lot of judgment and that's unfortunate because we're all tender-footed in these new times," the ex-wife of actor Ryan Phillippe continued. "We're trying to find our identity. That's what I really like about 'The Morning Show'."
Elsewhere in the interview, Witherspoon also shared a piece of her mind when asked about the mixed signal women are sending when their sultry photos are used in articles where they talked about their own experience with harassment.
"Why should a woman have to sublimate her own sexuality, because that's not her responsibility, the way she's viewed, right? Her sexuality shouldn't be diminished because she's having a conversation about consent," she explained. "You should be able to be sexual, to display your sexuality, because consent is consent, no matter what."
