Reese Witherspoon desperately tried to get out of 'Walk the Line' for which she won her first Oscar

2023-05-20 15:50

Reese Witherspoon was reportedly terrified that she could not pull-off the role of June Cash in the acclaimed James Mangold movie

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: For Reese Witherspoon, 'Walk The Line' was a defining moment in her career. Her portrayal of Johnny Cash's wife June earned her a Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical award at the 63rd Golden Globes in 2006 and her first and only Best actress Oscar at the 78th Academy Awards the same year. However, the 'Big Little Lies' actress had initially tried to leave the critically-acclaimed movie.

In 'Walk the Line', Witherspoon shared screen space with Joaquin Phoenix, who played Cash. She once revealed that despite being lauded for her portrayal, she was not confident she could pull off the role of June, as per CinemaBlend.

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'Every day I wanted to quit'

Speaking on the 'ReThinking With Adam Grant' podcast, Witherspoon discussed how her experience in Hollywood helped her overcome imposter syndrome and develop confidence. When questioned about the times she felt hesitant to try something, she spoke about James Mangold's 'Walk The Line', saying, "Every day I wanted to quit. Every day I got pain in my stomach thinking, ‘I’m going to be terrible. I’m going to have to get up on this stage in front of 100s of people and I’m going to sound awful.’ Or ‘I’m not going to be able to do it.'"

Witherspoon admitted that the fact that 'Walk the Line' was based on a true story and required her to sing and play instruments alongside other things made it even more difficult for her. Speaking to Oprah Winfrey on her show, she reportedly said, "It was awful. First of all, we had to learn how to sing. ... The director came to us and he said, 'I really want you guys to learn to sing, to learn to play instruments, and I want you to record an album. I absolutely was just gobsmacked!"

Witherspoon had her mind set about quitting and wanted to quit somehow. She said, "I called my attorney, my agent, my manager. I said, 'I've got to get out of this. Can't they call LeAnn Rimes? She's good! There are plenty of people that do this for a living. I'm just an actress!'"

Eventually, with the help of experts, Witherspoon honed her vocal abilities and went on to play June. She reportedly said on Grant's podcast, "I was just going to show up and do the very best of my ability. There was a reason somebody thought I could do it and I was not going to give up trying. I’ll always try."

'Walk the Line' ranked #3

In honor of the global premiere of 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' at the Cannes Film Festival, Variety ranked all of Mangold's movies. On the list, 'Walk the Line' was ranked at No 3. Mangold's interpretation of the Johnny and June Cash's story resonated with audiences and critics alike when he adapted it for the big screen.