Reese Witherspoon is on a mission to shake things up in Hollywood and make it a better place for women than when she first stepped into the scene. She's not just talking the talk either; through her company Pacific Standard, and later Hello Sunshine, she's been turning awesome books into even more awesome screen adaptations. Seriously, in 2023 alone, she had "Tiny Beautiful Things" hitting up Hulu, "The Last Thing He Told Me" was snagged by Apple TV+, and "Daisy Jones & the Six" was making waves on Amazon. And she's not just randomly picking books, she's diving deep into ones she truly believes in. I mean, she even personally reaches out to authors to get their blessings and snatch up those book rights.
Remember "Wild"? That epic memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail solo by Cheryl Strayed? Yeah, nobody was really gunning to turn that into a movie until Reese and her team swooped in. And when she decided to play Strayed herself, Hollywood couldn't stop gossiping about it. But Reese just shrugged off the haters and ended up snagging an Oscar nom for her portrayal. And let's not forget "Tiny Beautiful Things" based on Strayed's "Dear Sugar" columns. By the time Hello Sunshine got their hands on it, the skeptics were silenced for good.
Celeste Ng, the genius behind "Little Fires Everywhere," saw her book get the Reese treatment too, turning it into a hit series that snagged an Emmy nod. Ng raved about Reese's dedication to keeping the essence of the stories intact, saying it was like passing the mic to voices that needed to be heard. That's the kind of boss move Reese is making in an industry that doesn't always give women their due.
Sure, there have been bumps along the road, like reports of Hello Sunshine not raking in the expected dough. But Cheryl Strayed, the brains behind "Wild," agrees with Ng that Reese isn't just in it for the cash. Hello Sunshine, according to Strayed, is all about setting the record straight on women's stories, breaking free from the tired old stereotypes Hollywood loves to peddle. And that's a mission worth cheering for.
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