Here is Reese Witherspoon on the cover of February’s InStyle UK. It’s an okay cover shot – I think Reese is a very pretty girl, but I think most magazines do a crappy job of styling her. I prefer Reese when they make her look like a Hollywood Golden Age throwback, emphasizing her gorgeous skin and her non-traditional face. Anyway, the interview didn’t have any major developments. Reese tells the magazine “My mother told me to think of [acting] as a part-time job, and I thought, ‘That’s actually right, it puts it in perspective’. I work incredibly hard for three months but then I get a break.” She also talks about how her confidence has increased as she’s aged: “As you get older you know what you like and what you don’t like and you’re not apologetic about it. I definitely feel much more confident. I used to judge myself so harshly – I think women in their twenties do. You’re hard on your body, you’re hard on yourself.”

Reese also briefly discussed her new role as activist and advocate. She told the magazine: “I care a lot and I want to know that I’m making a difference…. I do feel like I’m on this journey that has a greater purpose. I’m not totally there yet, but I’m finding my way.” Reese made a recent trip to England, acting as Avon Cosmetics global ambassador and advocate for ending domestic violence. While there, Prime Minister Gordon Brown confused Reese with Renee Zellweger, but Reese wasn’t perturbed. She sat down with The Daily Mail for an interview about her cause, as well as some personal stuff:

Reese on listening to women speak about domestic violence: “I had tears in my eyes. And do you know what really moved me? It was that psychological component – the way that having someone tear down your self-esteem can make you feel immobilized.”

Reese tells a story about a friend who was abused: “He hit her and threatened her life many times. It went on for about two years. I had no idea of what was happening between them until she confided in me. She ended up living with me for a few months – we were only about 20 at the time. She had to move and change her telephone numbers and it was hard. I remember thinking, how can this be happening to this girl who is articulate and educated? I didn’t understand why she hadn’t just left him sooner. And it was only hearing Wendy speaking that reminded me of that.”

On the roles she has played and will continue to play: “I don’t have a set of rules about what kind of movies I make, but I am definitely drawn to women who are strong.”

On her grandmother: “In her day, girls could only go to certain colleges, where they were trained to be teachers or nurses, so she urged me to get a good education. She would say, “You can be whatever you want to be.” She taught me to have strength and self-respect.”

On her fears and ambitions: “[I fear being] underestimated. I’ve always had the need to prove myself. Growing up, a lot of my girlfriends’ ambitions were to get married and be homemakers. And that is completely wonderful for them – it was just never my ambition. I can remember standing up in third grade [aged eight] and saying that I wanted to be the first female president of the United States. I wanted to change the world.”

On regrets: ‘I don’t have a lot of regrets, but I do wish I’d finished college. It’s not just about the learning, it’s about discovering yourself. I’ll be telling my own kids to go to college. When you are young, you think you know everything. The older I get, the more I realise I know nothing. Yes, my children gave me big responsibilities, but I was never someone who partied. I like being home.”

On being a divorced single mother: “My kids have two great parents, and we balance our schedules so one of us is always with them. When you care enough and are determined to make them the focus of your life, then somehow it works. And I’ve had help. Through difficult times I have always found counseling helpful and I don’t think there is anything shameful in that.”

Girl power: “It’s tough being a woman. You are supposed to be self-sufficient, but we all need our sisters. I have three women friends who will drop anything to help me and I will do the same for them. I believe in those female bonds, because a lot of stuff happens with men and marriage and divorce, but family and friends are paramount… No. I love men! I’m still a girl.”

On her split with Jake Gyllenhaal: “Certainly, being in a relationship is important to me.”

On Los Angeles feeling “bizarre”: “I don’t feel I belong – my heart isn’t there. Don’t get me wrong. I love the sun, and it is where my business is, so it’s right for now – I just don’t think I’ll be there for ever.”

[From The Daily Mail]

I know a lot of people find Reese to be boring, or some kind of tightass, which she very well may be. But I appreciate the fact that she’s trying to be a different kind of actress and artist and be a different kind of mother in Hollywood. I like that Reese takes her kids to church, and that she regrets not finishing college, and that she worries more about education than the film scripts. Oh, and that really was all she said about Jake: “Certainly, being in a relationship is important to me.” Damn, I would love to know what really went down between the two of them. I bet it’s a lot juicier than we know.

InStyle UK cover and additional image courtesy of InStyle.co.uk