Just because Reese Witherspoon doesn’t go by her first name doesn’t mean she will share it with her friend.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Witherspoon was joined by her “Big Little Lies” co-star, Nicole Kidman, who scolded Reese for calling Laura Dern by her last name.
“I hate how you call her Dern though! Because it sounds so weird. I’m always like ‘Laura,’ and you’re like, ‘No, Dern!’” Kidman said.
Nicole Kidman scolded Reese Witherspoon for refusing to call Laura Dern by her first name. (Getty Images)
Reese reminded her friend of the reason she calls the actress by her last name.
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“You know why? Because my name is Laura, and her name is Laura. And it’s confusing to me,” she said. Reese’s legal name is Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon.
“Oh! That’s right,” Kidman quickly remembered.
“So, I get confused and just call her Dern,” Witherspoon replied. “We can’t both be Laura.”
Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon star on “Big Little Lies.” (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Kidman pointed out Dern doesn’t call Witherspoon “Laura.”
“She doesn’t call you Laura, though,” Nicole said.
“I don’t understand your point,” Witherspoon jokingly replied. “I don’t like your tone. You’re trying to understand something, so it just makes no sense.”
Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern and Nicole Kidman shared a hug at the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2018. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Turner)
The “Legally Blonde” star took a trip down memory lane to recall a fond memory she had on set of the hit HBO show with Dern.
“I called her, and I was like, ‘Dern, I was so funny today.’ And she’s like, ‘Oh my God. Reese, Reese, I was so funny in my scene yesterday.’ I was like, ‘I know, I know. But hold on. Then I went to work today, and Nicole’s in the most serious drama I’ve ever seen,'” Witherspoon said.
The actresses quickly erupted with laughter.
“That’s right!” Kidman quipped.
Witherspoon also noted she didn’t initially believe “Big Little Lies” would become a success.
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“‘This show is not gonna work,'” Reese recalled telling Laura. “And it frickin’ worked.”
The series, which also stars Zoë Kravitz and Shailene Woodley, was such a success it was renewed for a second season (which aired in 2019). It received 21 Emmy Award nominations and took home eight in 2017.
Reese Witherspoon, Zoë Kravitz, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep all appeared in “Big Little Lies” season 2. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
In November, Kidman confirmed there would be a third season of “Big Little Lies,” and the actresses discussed the upcoming season in their Vanity Fair interview.
“We’re moving fast and furious. [Author] Liane [Moriarty] is delivering the book. We’re in good shape,” Kidman said.
In 2021, “Big Little Lies” director Jean-Marc Vallée died suddenly at age 58.
“Big Little Lies” director Jean-Marc Vallée suddenly died at age 58 in 2021. (Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
Witherspoon mourned Vallée on social media at the time.
“My heart is broken. My friend. I love you,” Witherspoon wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, Kidman said, “It’s hard to imagine someone as vital, energetic and present as Jean-Marc being gone. I’m shattered.
A release date for season 3 of “Big Little Lies” has not yet been set. (Getty Images)
“He was at the center of my creative universe, and I can’t overstate his significance to me,” Kidman added. “Jean-Marc was not only responsible for some of the most rewarding professional experiences of my career, but his friendship, kindness and love were an inspiring force I will carry with me.
“I will always cherish those nights filming above the crashing waves of Big Sur. … It doesn’t get better than that. I am forever grateful for my time shared with this extraordinary human. Forever Jean Marc.”
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Dern remembered the late director on social media as one of the “great and purest artists and dreamers.”
“Our hearts are broken,” she said.