News | Entertainment
25 Jan 2026 22:50
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.”

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     23 Jan: Oscars 2026: Sinners break record with nominations, Jacob Elordi and Rose Byrne receive nods
     23 Jan: Amanda Seyfried thinks winning an Oscar "isn't necessary" for career success
     23 Jan: Karol G and Feid have reportedly split
     23 Jan: Summer House stars Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula have split
     23 Jan: Emeli Sande and her fiancee Yoana Karemova have split
     23 Jan: Colleen Hoover is cancer-free
     23 Jan: Nicole Kidman reportedly feels "refreshed and optimistic" as her divorce from Keith Urban is behind her
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Japan international rugby coach Eddie Jones believes league is making big inroads into rugby's traditional domain More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    US copied Iran's Shahed drones — now they are deployed in the Middle East More...



     Today's News

    Living & Travel:
    More than 150 people have gathered at Mount Maunganui's Blake Park, braving a cool wind for a vigil for those lost in the landslide 21:57

    Law and Order:
    A 29 year old man has been charged with kidnapping after an incident in Blenheim yesterday morning 21:17

    International:
    A second person has been shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis. Here's what we know 19:37

    Accident and Emergency:
    Further delays in the recovery of those missing in the Mount Maunganui campground landslide 19:27

    Motoring:
    Snell street in Waikato's Morrinsville, is closed following an earlier crash 18:57

    Skiing:
    Scotty James wins fifth-straight X-Games superpipe gold ahead of Milano Cortina Games 18:47

    Rugby:
    Japan international rugby coach Eddie Jones believes league is making big inroads into rugby's traditional domain 18:37

    Soccer:
    The Wellington Phoenix women have rocketed from 9th to second on the congested A-League ladder...after beating Adelaide United 3-1 at home in Porirua 18:07

    Basketball:
    Kiwi Finn Fisher-Black has ended cycling's Tour Down Under with a bang, crossing second in a sprint on the final stage to take 25th overall 18:07

    Cricket:
    Rain is disrupting the men's Super Smash T20 encounter in Christchurch...with the ladder-leading Northern Brave 51 for one in the 15th over against hosts Canterbury, scoring at just over eight and a half runs per over 17:57


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd