Reese Witherspoon's Real Name Is The Same As A Big Little Lies Co-Star
Wait, Reese's name isn't Reese?!
So far, 2024 is the year of two trends: scathing diss tracks and celebrities revealing (or wanting to be addressed by) their legal name in interviews. There are plenty of actors who have stage names, yet their famous monikers sound so realistic that fans believe it’s their actual one. Enter Reese Witherspoon, who recently reminded Nicole Kidman what her true first name is and why she never used it on the set of Big Little Lies.
On June 5, Witherspoon and Kidman appeared on Vanity Fair’s Reunited series. There, the two spoke about the bond they formed on HBO’s Big Little Lies — which left off in 2019 —and their friendship with co-star Laura Dern. Throughout their chat, Kidman noticed that Witherspoon would refer to Dern exclusively by her last name, and it kept throwing her off.
“I hate how you call her Dern, though. It sounds weird. I’m always like, ‘Laura.’ And you’re like, “No, Dern. Dern. Dern,” Kidman said. Witherspoon explained her reasoning for that approach, saying: “My name’s Laura and her name’s Laura. I get confused, so I just call her Dern. We both can’t be Laura.”
For those don’t know, Witherspoon’s actual name is Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon. When she started her acting career, she adopted Reese — her mother’s maiden name — as a stage name. (Don’t worry, Kidman’s acting moniker is her real one.) Though Witherspoon’s real name has technically been public knowledge for decades, it still makes fans do a double take. One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote: “I feel LIED to,” while another noted that her real name suits her.
While Kidman understood the vision, she teased that Witherspoon shouldn’t be confused since Dern doesn’t address her as “Laura.” Witherspoon playfully brushed her off, saying: “I don’t understand your point and I don’t like your tone.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the duo shared details about Season 3 of Big Little Lies. They first recalled Kidman’s slip up from 2020, where she spoiled that another season was on the horizon. Witherspoon and the other co-stars were tight-lipped about the show continuing at the time, and she joked about how Kidman’s comments increased the lingering “what-if’s.”
“I got excited,” Kidman said of her prior quotes, before confirming the third season is happening. “But we are now! We’re moving fast and furious, and Liane [Moriarty] is delivering the book. Yeah, we’re in good shape.”
Well, it seems the Monterey Five (yes, both Lauras included) are making a comeback.
