Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington have a close personal and professional relationship. Washington, 46, disclosed at The Hollywood Reporter’s Annual Women in Entertainment Gala that she first contacted Witherspoon, 47, for advice on starting a new production company.
When Washington first started her production company, she knew that Witherspoon had worked with three production companies, and she reached out to her for advice. “I remember when I was first starting my production company, I realized, Oh, Reese Witherspoon has had three production companies,” Washington said in clarification. She probably has some insight to share about what has and hasn’t worked. I also gave her a call.
Witherspoon was impressed that Washington sought advice
Witherspoon was impressed that Washington sought advice and remarked, “Nobody has ever done that,” even though they had never met before. The two actresses’ friendship and mentorship lasted for a long time after their first professional encounter.
Washington affirmed, “It was the beginning of our friendship.” She stressed the need to have mentors in one’s life, whether they be older or more experienced peers, and the significance of imparting knowledge to those who will follow in one’s footsteps.
“I believe that in today’s world, mentorships can be more formal at times or more informal and personal at others, but having people with more experience and wisdom to turn to and ask, ‘Tell me how you did this,’ has been so vital in my career,” Washington said.
She emphasized the value of imparting knowledge to those pursuing careers in the field as she wrapped up by saying, “And then being willing to pass that information on so that people who are coming behind you through the door is also so rewarding and important.”
Washington views her daughters as mentors in her role as a mother
In addition to raising her two children, a 9-year-old daughter named Isabelle and a 7-year-old son named Caleb, Kerry Washington is also the stepmother of Nnamdi Asomugha’s teenage daughter from a previous relationship. Washington views her daughters as mentors in her role as a mother, and she finds inspiration in their insight, strength, and wisdom.
The actress said, “I think, in a lot of ways, my daughters are my mentors because I’m really just always trying to lean into their wisdom and be guided by their intuitive strength and insight.” A few years prior to working with Reese Witherspoon on “Little Fires Everywhere,” Washington founded her Simpson Street production company in 2016.
In addition to her family, Washington’s friendship with Witherspoon has also brought her humorous moments of support, as evidenced by Washington’s lighthearted recreation of the Hello Sunshine founder’s Harvard admissions tape for Witherspoon’s 46th birthday.
Furthermore, Washington has recently opened up about her personal journey with the publication of her memoir “Thicker Than Water,” which was released in September. In it, she discusses her professional accomplishments, shares vulnerable truths about her self-image, explores her family history, and discloses unexpected parts of her past.
Kerry Washington opened up about body image issues
More information about Kerry Washington’s battles with body image is being released.
At the Los Angeles book tour stop for her memoir, “Thicker Than Water,” actress Gabrielle Union and Washington had an open discussion about the common misconception that Black women and girls do not suffer from disordered eating or body dysmorphia. Union questioned Washington, 46, about how her personal journey was affected by this perception.
“I think this idea of needing to fix myself, needing to be better, needing to be more perfect, those seeds were planted very early,” Washington said, acknowledging the early seeds of the notion that she needed to improve herself and become more perfect.
Washington is usually a private person, but in her memoir “Thicker Than Water,” which was released on September 26, she shows a vulnerable side.
The book explores her decision to have an abortion, her experience with an eating disorder, and her panic attacks as a child, giving readers a more comprehensive picture of the actress than just her roles in “Scandal” and “Little Fires Everywhere.”
