News | Entertainment
9 Dec 2025 15:10
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Reese Witherspoon had panic attacks "for weeks" before filming 'Wild'

    The 45-year-old actress admitted making the 2014 movie - which is based on Cheryl Strayed's memoir about getting her life back together by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail - was the biggest career challenge she's ever faced and she turned to hypnosis to calm her fears before she started work on the project


    Speaking to Tracee Ellis Ross for Interview magazine, she admitted: "I was so scared to do that... I had hypnosis, I was so scared. I was having panic attacks for three weeks before I started.

    “There was the nudity, sexuality, and drug-use aspect, but also being alone on camera with no other actors. I hadn’t ever been alone in scenes for days and days. There were probably 25 days of the shoot where I had no other actor opposite me. It was just me and a camera and a backpack. I was like, ‘Is this going to be so boring?’”

    And the 'Big Little Lies' star admitted making the film changed her forever after pushing her to her limits.

    She said: "I don’t know if I’ll ever work that hard again, but it changed me on a cellular level.”

    But Reese - who has Ava, 21, and Deacon, 17, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, as well as Tennessee, eight, with spouse Jim Toth - thought Cheryl's book was "beautiful and sacred" because it had taught her a lot.

    She said: “[It] was so beautiful and sacred to me because it spoke to me so deeply about how we as women have to save ourselves. There’s no mother or father coming to save us. There’s no spouse.

    "I thought it was radical that at the end of the film, she ends up with no family, no money, no job, no partner, and she’s happy.”

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     09 Dec: Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard's daughters were furious with her when she dumped their dad in a movie
     09 Dec: Paul Walker's daughter has pledged to love him "forever"
     09 Dec: Francis Ford Coppola finds Botox "scary"
     09 Dec: Rosalia "struggles so much" with loneliness
     09 Dec: FKA Twigs is "really looking forward to getting older"
     09 Dec: Jessie J has compared cancer surgery to an episode of Black Mirror
     09 Dec: Brad Pitt still mocks George Clooney after beating him to a role in Thelma + Louise more than 35 years ago
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    New Zealand Rugby admits its in the dark as to what standard of French side will tour for the first All Blacks test at Christchurch's new stadium More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    The Resource Management Act is officially bound for the scrapheap More...



     Today's News

    Cricket:
    New Zealand will have a new test wicketkeeper for the second match of their series against the West Indies - starting tomorrow at Wellington 14:57

    Motoring:
    Hayden Paddon feels the odds are stacked against him for his World Rally Championship return next month 14:57

    International:
    Why Kate chose to 'stay flat' after breast cancer surgery 14:57

    Law and Order:
    Police say rare circumstances led up to senseless attacks on an Auckland bus last night 14:57

    Entertainment:
    Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard's daughters were furious with her when she dumped their dad in a movie 14:50

    Entertainment:
    Paul Walker's daughter has pledged to love him "forever" 14:20

    National:
    Caregiver smartphone use can affect a baby’s development. New parents should get more guidance 14:07

    Entertainment:
    Francis Ford Coppola finds Botox "scary" 13:50

    Business:
    The Resource Management Act is officially bound for the scrapheap 13:47

    Business:
    The Government's about to unveil its re-write of the Resource Management Act 13:27


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd