From Legally Blonde‘s Elle Woods, Morning Wars‘ Bradley Jackson or Cruel Intentions’ Annette Hargrove, we’ve known (and celebrated) Reese Witherspoon in numerous titles. But there’s one name she has that we’ve never recognised, and it’s her most relevant moniker of all.
As it turns out Reese Witherspoon isn’t actually her real name, per se. Rather, it’s simply her double barrelled surname. Her real full name? Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon.
To add more fuel to the smithereens of brain particles that just exploded in our heads, it turns out the names Reese and Witherspoon are a combination of the actor’s dad’s last name (John Witherspoon), and her mum’s maiden name (Betty Reese).
Yes, the Sweet Home Alabama alum goes by two surnames. What.
The resurfaced piece of information was brought to our attention thanks to a Twitter user who goes by the handle, @LikeMike_911.
Replying to a Tweet which wished the actor a happy 46th birthday, they wrote: “Reminder that ‘Reese Witherspoon’ is actually her whole last name which is a combination of her fathers last name and her mothers maiden name. Her real name is Laura Jeanne lol.”
Like us, Twitter was alight with confusion.
“I do not appreciate at all you telling me this information,” one baffled user replied.
“She’s been playing the role of Reese Witherspoon this whole damn time,” another added.
Several others pointed out how the full name alludes to her Southern state roots.
“Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon. Oh she is country country……I like it,” one commented.
While it’s not known exactly when Witherspoon decided to start using the unique name, it was used in her very first film appearance, The Man On The Moon when she was the ripe old age of 14 years old.
Women’s Health has also reported Reese’s reasoning for choosing that over Laura was because it sounded more “Hollywood”.
And to boot, Reese named her son in honour of his grandmother, Deacon Reese Phillippe, who was born in 2003. Betty’s maiden name has been given some major airtime which we love to see.
So now that we’re armed with that mind-blowing information, we can get on with our lives… a moment to re-gather ourselves notwithstanding.
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