In a recent promotional event for her new Apple TV+ thriller, The Last Thing He Told Me, Jennifer Garner expressed her gratitude to Reese Witherspoon for inspiring her career transformation. Garner revealed that Witherspoon encouraged her to pursue producing, emphasizing the need for women to create their own opportunities in Hollywood. “Honestly, Reese is behind that, she has really pushed me. She said to me a few years ago, ‘Nobody is sitting around thinking, what can I shoot in L.A. that’s going to have a 50-year-old woman in it? You’ve got to create your own stuff,’” said Garner.
Witherspoon’s influence extends beyond mere advice; she has established a Hollywood empire with her production company, Hello Sunshine. This company was instrumental in backing The Last Thing He Told Me, providing Garner with her first executive producer credit alongside her close friend. Garner took a bold step, actively pitching herself for the lead role of Hannah after Julia Roberts left the project. “Hannah and I are quite different, but there was something about her that just really spoke to me,” she shared.
The series, adapted from Laura Dave’s 2021 novel, delves into themes of female resilience. Garner connected profoundly with Hannah’s evolving relationship with her stepdaughter, reflecting, “When you are a parent, you still have to fall in love with your kids over and over again. They keep changing, they shift, and you just find new ways to love them.” The show also features Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, known for his role in Game of Thrones, portraying Hannah’s missing husband, primarily appearing in flashbacks. Coster-Waldau revealed he hadn’t seen his digitally de-aged character yet, stating, “It’s going to be weird.”
Additionally, The Last Thing He Told Me stands out due to its all-female directing team, a point Garner enthusiastically highlighted. “This is just a story about a woman learning to trust her own instinct, a woman finding her own agency and struggling through to prove herself to herself. And nobody can tell that story better than women in Hollywood,” she emphasized.
Reese Witherspoon’s impact on women in Hollywood is significant, as she not only empowers others to create but also reshapes industry perceptions regarding women in their forties and beyond. Garner embodies this shift in mentality, demonstrating that one doesn’t have to wait for roles to arrive; instead, they can actively create them, inspired by the support and motivation of figures like Witherspoon.
