Celebrities going by a stage name in Hollywood is not uncommon – it can be a twist on the person’s real name, or something catchier.
Anne Hathaway recently went viral after sharing that she wants everyone to stop calling her ‘Anne,’ while Chris Pratt says he doesn’t like being called Chris and it’s not his real name.
Now, people are also discovering Witherspoon’s real name.
After hearing the A-lister isn’t actually called Reese Witherspoon, fans have rushed to social media and shared their surprise.
One person says: “Never did I know that wasn’t her real name.”
Another asks: “Wait, Reese has a real name?”
“I feel lied to!” writes a third.
A fourth fan comments: “Well, she will always be Reese Witherspoon to me.”
“What, I had no idea, I thought her name was Reese,” somebody else pens.
The Cruel Intentions actress has built an incredibly success career for herself, she’s an accomplished actress and producer.
Her breakthrough role was in Legally Blonde (2001), where she played Elle Woods, a sorority queen who attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend by attending Harvard Law School.
The romantic comedy put Witherspoon on the map and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, she’s now one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood.
The A-lister is known for producing several female-led adaptions and in 2017, she took on the role of executive producer for the HBO drama series Big Little Lies.
The show, starring Nicole Kidman, Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, and Zoë Kravitz, follows a group of women in Monterey, California, who become entangled in a murder investigation.
Earlier this year, Witherspoon and her Big Little Lies co-star Kidman sat down for an interview with Vanity Fair.
In their chat, Witherspoon reminded everyone of her real name.
It came out when the actress referenced her and Kidman’s co-star, Dern.
Kidman interjected, saying: “I hate how you call her Dern though!”
When Witherspoon asked why, the Aussie legend responded: “Because it sounds weird!”
The Legally Blonde star then confirmed why she refers to her co-star by her last name rather than her first.
“Do you know why? Because my name is Laura and her name is Laura and it’s confusing to me,” Witherspoon said, whose full name is Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon.
It appears Kidman herself had forgotten the star’s real name, as she responded: “Oh! That’s right.”
Witherspoon added: “So I get confused and just call her Dern. We can’t both be Laura.”
Reese is the star’s mother’s maiden name, which she took on at the beginning of her acting career.
Did you know Reese Witherspoon’s real name? Let us know in the comments.
