Oprah Winfrey has interviewed her A Wrinkle In Time co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling for the March issue of O, The Oprah Magazine about the #MeToo movement and Time’s Up initiative. Oprah asked the women about what the most difficult decision they’ve had to make to fulfil their destinies. To which Reese responded, “Leaving an abusive relationship.”
She explained that she endured “psychological” and “verbal” abuse when she was very young:
“I drew a line in the sand, and it got crossed, and my brain just switched. I couldn’t go any further. I was really young, and it was profound.”
She didn’t go into any specifics, but did say it changed who she is as a person:
“It changed who I was on a cellular level, the fact that I stood up for myself. It’s part of the reason I can stand up and say, ‘Yes, I’m ambitious.’ Because someone tried to take that from me.”
Last year, Reese also revealed she was assaulted by a director when she was just 16 years old:
“The understanding was that remaining silent was the condition of our employment. ‘Do you want to work? Do you want to get ahead?’ Then you don’t talk. But the rules have changed. And with Time’s Up, we’re making sure they’re changing for everyone—by providing legal and financial support to women in any workplace who have been harassed and are ready to speak up about it.”
She now believes change is coming:
“There are a lot of really good men in the world, but I do think it’s incumbent on women in leadership to rewrite the rules. We have to get together as groups of women, which is what I’ve been doing with a lot of actresses. It’s been incredibly illuminating. Women in positions of power need to help people understand what the new normal is.”
“You tell people how you want them to treat you.”
Image: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
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