Reese Witherspoon reveals her real name isn’t Reese Witherspoon

It’s not uncommon for actors to have a stage name for when they get famous. Reese Witherspoon is a well-known name for many, but its actually not her real name.

Reese Witherspoon is an icon, having gotten her start in movies like The Man in The Moon and the thriller Fear. But many know her as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama.

There’s no denying that Witherspoon is a household name in Hollywood. But in an interview with Nicole Kidman for her hit series Big Little Lies, she dropped a bombshell about her real name.

For Variety, Witherspoon laughed at how she always calls her co-star Laura Dern by her last name on set. Something Kiddman jokingly says she “hates” that Witherspoon does, but the actor explains exactly why.

“Because my name is Laura. And her name is Laura and it’s confusing to me,” said Witherspoon. “My real name is Laura Jean, so I’ll get confused and call her Dern.”

A quick Google search would reveal it’s true: Reese Witherspoon isn’t really Reese Witherspoon. Her full name is Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon. Like most when they begin their acting career, she cut out parts of her real name to make her stage name.

Now thinking about it, it may be hard to imagine referring to the actor as anything else besides Reese Witherspoon. It has a perfect ring to it.

She’s not the only one, as many wouldn’t know Kirk Douglas’s real name is Issur Danielovitch. Sleepless in Seattle star Meg Ryan’s real name is much longer with Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra.

One of the most shocking ones may be Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel. His real name, Mark Sinclair, doesn’t sound as tough, so took his mother’s last name “Vincent” and shortened it to Vin and got Diesel from his friends, who always said he was full of energy.

Witherspoon’s Big Little Lies is available on HBO Max. You read more on one of Amazon Prime Video’s most succesful series and new series streaming this month.