Reese Witherspoon in Big Little Lies
Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 1:15PM 
As we wait for Season Two of Big Little Lies, which starts this Sunday, let’s look back at the first season and in particular Reese Witherspoon’s performance as Madeline Martha Mackenzie. What she does is perhaps something only she can accomplish. She’s is working on several levels to deliver a riveting, enthralling and funny performance...
On one level Witherspoon takes this character that is abrasive and in your face and makes her irresistible to watch. Madeline is definitely someone who if you met in real life and you were on the wrong side of her, you are going to be hurt. Yet we love to watch her. She plays the comedy of that. Watch the way she blinks her eyes and says “Renata” in the first episode as she meets her nemesis on the schoolyard.
Then Witherspoon ups the ante by giving us depth, humanity and pathos. Watch as she charts Madeline’s relationship with her daughters and husband in the same episode. She’s heartbreaking as she explains to her husband that while she loves him, she can still be jealous of the life her ex built without her. Or when she completely breaks down when her elder daughter indicates that she loves her. She makes Madeline alive and recognizable.
Most nuanced, emotionally intelligent actors can achieve these two levels with the right material. But what is elusive to some performers is the next level that Witherspoon flies into. She takes all of that and makes the audience fall in love with her. We fall in love with the essence of Reese, the star and the actress. Because she’s Madeline but also because she’s Reese, winking at us while always staying in character and in the moment. She fully develops the character and inhabits her, yet adds recognizable traits that endear her more to the audience, particularly her longtime fans.
Are you ready for Season 2?
Reader Comments (15)
I know Reese, Nicole,Shailene, and Laura will continue to knock it out of the park. And I have good reason to suspect Miz Streep will deliver.
I'm most excited to see what Zoe Kravitz gives us in season two, because I felt she was the most underutilized cast member in the first season. She wasn't given much juicy material to bite into, and I'm hoping she will this time around.
I was never a big fan of Reese's win. However, she's more than earned her Oscar with her pre-(e.g, Election, Legally Blonde) and post -Oscar performances. She's just brilliant here.
Reese's performance is such a delicious hook in the first episode. I had a "this could go either way" vibe about the series before I started watching, as I think many people did from the trailers.
But from her first moments onscreen, that performance demands that you care about this petty, trivial little world. You are Shailene Woodley getting yanked into the carpool line, whether you like it or not. 100 percent Reese's doing.
Thought Reese richly deserved his win for Walk the Line. Was somewhat shocked that the audience didn't seem very happy with it (Thought Joaquin should have won as well).
Reese and Nicole are the heart of Big Little Lies. Very ready for Season 2. Hope they've given Streep her part and made her the add-on that she is. In other words, hope she doesn't take over. Particularly watching for what they do with Zoe Kravitz.
Re: Reese's Oscar win...
That was a strange year for Best Actress, but I was totally ok with her win. I love Walk the Line and thoroughly enjoyed her in it--particularly her and Joaquin's chemistry. Regardless of whether that specific role should've been her winning moment, she's inarguably a huge star/talent, and she's proven herself in a handful of roles, so I don't think you can begrudge her being an Oscar winner.
2005, like 1994, tends to get chalked up as a "weak year" for Best Actress at the Oscars. While the lineup of nominees may be, the field of actresses who were giving great performances that year certainly was not. Witherspoon is pretty terrific in Walk the Line and, although it's not her best performance (or the best of the year—*cough* Joan Allen in The Upside of Anger *cough*), there's a reason the NSFC and the NYFCC awarded her.
Anyway, BLL S2 is so unnecessary but let's hope Andrea Arnold can make magic out of Witherspoon, Kidman, Dean, etc. again.
I have always liked her. I did not understand her Oscar win, however.
In the first season of Bid Little Lies, I thought she was the best performer of the whole bunch.
In the reviews I have seen for BLL2, it seems that all critics are singling out Streep as the
stand out actress of the bunch. Anxious to see this... as we live in Pebble Beach and I actually saw them filming one whole morning on Lover's Point. They set up a cafe for the scene. The scene has Streep, Kidman and Reece. I did not see Laura Dern, although I think she was there.
Slaughtering cast members every single episode,should have had all the awards.
Finally. Reese has really grown on me. She is a god d actress, successful producer and mom. I saw a scene with her and Meryl that looked super. I ok forward to the show and write ups.
Reese and Kidman were glorious in this. Reese’s performance, you are right, she’s funny on top of it all, no one else could have done this role as well. Two of the best performances in their respective filmographies and that is saying ALOT.
The praise for the other female cast is overdone. They are all great actresses but were not great in season 1.
Zoe played a super weird character; surprised by how many people here want her to have a bigger role (and by the trailer, she clearly does so maybe that is why?). of the five ladies she is the one I least wanted to spend more time with by end of season 1. So lets hope they write her character better this season. Her character kinda sucked.
Dern (who I usually adore) was a bit screechy in this. I felt she overdid it. Every scene, line and expression she did was at 200%. *Sometimes* that worked.
Woodley - she was great; just did not have as much meat nor complexity in her performance as her more famous co-stars. Of these three, if anyone deserves more screen time + meat, it is her.
...But then again, I may prefer to just spend it with Reese and Kidman. Kidman + Reese were the shinning stars. I recall liking Alex and Adam’s work in this too.
The part where she curses up a storm in support of Nicole Kidman handing Laura Dern her ass on a dinner plate gave me such joy last year.
When we talk about Big Little Lies' cast, please let's not forget Robin Weigert as Perry and Celeste's therapist. It's one of the best, more realistic depictions of this job I've ever seen onscreen.
I was super impressed with Reese in S1. I too wasn't a fan of her Oscar win, mainly bc she has a far superior performance in Election. But I'm really looking forward to more Madeline in season 2.
Am I the only one that think they could have gone with someone besides Streep? LOVE HER, etc etc, but I feel like they could have been more creative with casting another seasoned vet.
I'm also super stoked to see where Zoe goes this season. Hoping she gets a main story arc, she's so talented it'd be great for her to have some meat to chew on.
Can't wait!
Am I the only one that think they could have gone with someone besides Streep? LOVE HER, etc etc, but I feel like they could have been more creative with casting another seasoned vet. - recurring complaint EVERY SINGLE TIME Streep is in a project.
I have seen the first 3 episodes of BLL and I don't think anyone can do what she did in those episodes.
Streep has not been in a movie for over two years.... she had cameos in Mama Mia 2 and Mary Poppins Returns. That does not seem like a lot of work to me.