News | Entertainment
21 Dec 2025 21:49
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Reese Witherspoon had panic attacks "for weeks" before filming 'Wild'

    The 45-year-old actress admitted making the 2014 movie - which is based on Cheryl Strayed's memoir about getting her life back together by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail - was the biggest career challenge she's ever faced and she turned to hypnosis to calm her fears before she started work on the project


    Speaking to Tracee Ellis Ross for Interview magazine, she admitted: "I was so scared to do that... I had hypnosis, I was so scared. I was having panic attacks for three weeks before I started.

    “There was the nudity, sexuality, and drug-use aspect, but also being alone on camera with no other actors. I hadn’t ever been alone in scenes for days and days. There were probably 25 days of the shoot where I had no other actor opposite me. It was just me and a camera and a backpack. I was like, ‘Is this going to be so boring?’”

    And the 'Big Little Lies' star admitted making the film changed her forever after pushing her to her limits.

    She said: "I don’t know if I’ll ever work that hard again, but it changed me on a cellular level.”

    But Reese - who has Ava, 21, and Deacon, 17, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, as well as Tennessee, eight, with spouse Jim Toth - thought Cheryl's book was "beautiful and sacred" because it had taught her a lot.

    She said: “[It] was so beautiful and sacred to me because it spoke to me so deeply about how we as women have to save ourselves. There’s no mother or father coming to save us. There’s no spouse.

    "I thought it was radical that at the end of the film, she ends up with no family, no money, no job, no partner, and she’s happy.”

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     21 Dec: King Charles will be "deeply touched" by the public's reaction to the "milestone" in his cancer journey, which he described as a "personal blessing"
     21 Dec: Selena Quintanilla's dad has died at the age of 86
     21 Dec: Shaquille O'Neal is set to undergo lip reduction surgery
     21 Dec: Chrissie Hynde "always regretted" her guest appearance in Friends because it ruined her anonymity on the school run
     21 Dec: Claire Holt took a step back from acting because she wants to be present for her children
     21 Dec: Dick Van Dyke was "locked up with the psychos" in rehab
     21 Dec: The Friends cast have teamed up for a fundraiser in honour of the late Matthew Perry
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The head coach for Canoe Racing New Zealand, Gordon Walker, is stepping down More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Sport New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle has shed light on the challenge sports administrators face between balancing transparency and confidentiality More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    King Charles will be "deeply touched" by the public's reaction to the "milestone" in his cancer journey, which he described as a "personal blessing" 21:20

    Rugby:
    The head coach for Canoe Racing New Zealand, Gordon Walker, is stepping down 21:17

    Entertainment:
    Selena Quintanilla's dad has died at the age of 86 20:50

    Education:
    How a Reddit tip proved vital for uncovering the suspect of the Brown University shooting 20:37

    Entertainment:
    Shaquille O'Neal is set to undergo lip reduction surgery 20:20

    Entertainment:
    Chrissie Hynde "always regretted" her guest appearance in Friends because it ruined her anonymity on the school run 19:50

    Entertainment:
    Claire Holt took a step back from acting because she wants to be present for her children 19:20

    Soccer:
    The Wellington Phoenix have picked up their third win of the A-League season after beating the Central Coast Mariners 3-1 at home 18:57

    Entertainment:
    Dick Van Dyke was "locked up with the psychos" in rehab 18:50

    Cricket:
    The West Indies have reached 43 without loss, chasing 462 to win at stumps on the fourth day of the third cricket test against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui 18:37


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd