Reese Witherspoon Shares How Diane Keaton Helped Her Career at Age 15
Reese Witherspoon is honoring a late legend.
After Diane Keaton passed away at age 79 on Oct. 11, the Oscar winner reflected on why the Annie Hall star will always hold a special place in her heart and her career trajectory.
"Diane was really important," Reese said on stage during the third annual Shine Away event in Los Angeles Oct. 11. "She was one of my first mentors in this business. I was 15 years old and I was from Nashville, Tennessee, and I didn't know anybody."
The Legally Blonde actress recalled getting the opportunity to audition for a part in the 1991 movie Wildflower, which was directed by Diane and also starred Patricia Arquette.
"I came in—it was maybe my second, maybe my third audition ever," Reese shared. "I auditioned for her and she looked at me after—I came in with this big country accent and I was playing this little southern girl—and she goes, 'Who are you?' I said, 'I'm Reese Witherspoon, I'm from Nashville, Tennessee.' And she said, 'Are you making that up? That accent you're doing?'"
When Diane realized her accent was authentic, she immediately took her under her wing. As Reese remembered her saying, "She was like, 'Well, then you're hired. You're hired today, tomorrow and the next day. I don't know who you are but I'm so excited to have you.'"
And the Hello Sunshine founder said making Wildflower wound up being "one of the most important summers of my childhood," noting that Diane gave her a lot of thoughtful advice.
"She really took the time to pull me aside," Reese explained, "and say, 'Stand up straight, OK? I want you to have good posture. If you're gonna be an actress you got to work on your posture.'"
But whether she had been her mentor or not, Reese insisted that she would have felt Diane's influence on Hollywood.
"The thing I just loved about her was she was such an original," she reflected. "If you close your mind and think of Diane Keaton, I guarantee you from Annie Hall to The Godfather to Something's Gotta Give—she is just incredible and indelible."
"So for Diane, watch one of her movies," Reese added. "And wear like a really cool, interesting outfit, black and white. Take a cool picture and just live your dream. Just be your unique, interesting self. I think Diane would be really happy. So rest in peace, Diane.”
For more stars who have paid tribute to Diane, keep reading.
Diane's Book Club costars each shared individual tributes for the late actress.
The Elf actress emphasized that her late friend was "magic."
"There was no one, nor will there ever be, anyone like her," she wrote in a statement. "I loved her and felt blessed to be her friend. My love to her family. What a wonder she was!!!"
"It’s hard to believe...or accept…that Diane has passed," Jane wrote in her own Instagram post. "She was always a spark of life and light, constantly giggling at her own foibles, being limitlessly creative... in her acting, her wardrobe, her books, her friends, her homes, her library, her worldview. Unique is what she was. And, though she didn’t know it or wouldn’t admit it, man she was a fine actress!"
Meanwhile, Candice wrote in her post, "This is a huge loss, both personally and for all of us."
The Miss Congeniality actress continued, "Diane was a true artist – tremendously gifted and uniquely talented in so many disciplines, yet also modest and wonderfully eccentric. I will miss her terribly."
Diane's Annie Hall costar penned an essay in her honor after news of her passing.
"Unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again, her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered," Woody wrote in an essay for The Free Press. "She was so charming, so beautiful, so magical, that I questioned my sanity. I thought: 'Could I be in love so quickly?'"
Woody called the world a "drearier" place without Diane, adding, "Still, there are her movies. And her great laugh still echoes in my head.”
The former daytime television host posted a compilation of every time Diane appeared on her show, admitting she was one of her "all-time favorite guests."
"Diane Keaton was an icon- a hero of mine growing up," Ellen wrote in an Instagram post. "To be able to connect with her on my show over the years was so much fun. Always a surprise. always fun. She was one of a kind."
"You’ve left us with a trail of fairy dust, filled with particles of light and memories beyond imagination," Goldie gushed of her Town & Country costar. "How do we say goodbye? What words can come to mind when your heart is broken? You never liked praise, so humble, but now you can’t tell me to 'shut up' honey. There was, and will be, no one like you."
"We agreed to grow old together, and one day, maybe live together with all our girlfriends," Goldie continued. "Well, we never got to live together, but we did grow older together. Who knows… maybe in the next life. Shine your fairy dust up there, girlfriend. I’m going to miss the hell out of you."
"She was a magic light for everyone," Carol, who penned "First Christmas" for Diane, said in a statement to People. "I just loved her. She was so special, she just lit up a room with her energy. She was happy and upbeat and taking photographs of everything she saw. She was completely creative; she never stopped creating."
The Saturday Night Live star, who previously worked as an assistant to the Annie Hall actress, wrote in a tribute to Instagram, "Diane, you are the best and I will be seeing you in everything."
Mandy, who starred alongside Diane in Because I Said So, penned a heartfelt tribute to the actress on Instagram.
"They say don’t meet your heros but I got to work with one of mine and even call her 'mom' for a few months," Mandy wrote. "An honor of a lifetime. What an incandescent human Di is and was. I am so sad she’s gone for all the reasons but also because it felt like she’d be here forever, dazzling us with her talent and charm (and her style, c’mon)!!! One of the very best to ever do it. All my love to her children and loved ones."
"The magical Diane Keaton has passed," he wrote on social media. "Diane will be deeply missed. She will continue to be an American original. A truly unique and sublime artist. A unicorn of sorts. No one like her. Her light will continue to shine forever."
He continued, "In fact, it will shine even brighter as the years pass. A beacon of spontaneity and originality that we all strive for. I was blessed to be in her light. I will carry it with me forever.”
"RIP to my friend Diane Keaton. A heartbreaking loss of one of the greatest icons in our industry," he wrote on Instagram. "I have so many fond memories of working with Diane on our film And So It Goes nearly twelve years ago. Sending my deepest condolences to the Keaton family during this difficult time."
"When I was a kid, Diane Keaton was my absolute idol," the Sex and the City alum wrote. "I loved her acting. I loved her vibe. I loved her everything. Starting with when I was 12, I tried to dress like her. I wore my hair long. I sported men’s hats and vests and (even though my eyes were fine) I wore bookish glasses because I thought they made me look more like her."
She continued, "A little more than a decade ago I got to be in a movie called Five Flights Up with her and it was like a dream come true. I was very shy around her, but I think she liked me and that meant everything to me."
"Diane Keaton has been a point of inspiration for countless actresses," she wrote. "I include myself among those who loved and admired her. I was very privileged to witness her singular skill and talent on both First Wives Club and The Family Stone."
She continued, "I will cherish those memories on set as well her touching, delightful and perfectly own cinematic career. Which is a gorgeous legacy of an exquisite person. She will be terribly missed."
The actor remembered his time working with Diane early in his career, writing, "Diane Keaton was one of a kind. Brilliant, funny, and unapologetically herself. A legend, an icon, and a truly kind human being."
The comedian shared a screenshot of an article, in which Martin Short asked Diane, "Who's sexier, me or Steve Martin?" To which Diane replied, "I mean, you're both idiots."
Steve captioned his post, "Don’t know who first posted this, but it sums up our delightful relationship with Diane."
Under a scene from First Wives Club, Kate wrote on social media, "We love you so much Diane."
"Diane Keaton could do anything," she wrote on Instagram. "From dramatic roles like Kay Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, to her hilariously offbeat portrayal of Annie Hall, which won her an Oscar, her talent seemed limitless. I also remember her lovely cold call to my mom after the release of her documentary, A Piece of Work, just to share her admiration. She will be greatly missed."
"Today we lost a true original," she said. "@diane_keaton wasn’t just an actress: she was a force. a woman who showed us that being yourself is the most powerful thing you can be."
She continued, "From Annie Hall to Something’s Gotta Give, she made every role unforgettable. But beyond the screen, she brought joy, laughter, and style that was all her own. Thank you, Diane, for reminding us that authenticity never goes out of fashion."
The Gilmore Girls actress shared a personal letter from her Because I Said So costar that encouraged her to write her first book.
“A few lines from a letter Diane Keaton wrote me years ago, when writing a book was just a dream of mine,” she captioned her Instagram post, which included a picture of the typed letter signed by “Di.” “Her work as an actor was an inspiration to me. Her encouragement changed my life.”
"She was beloved in her industry," Elizabeth said on Instagram. "Every one of us idolizes her. Her influence on culture, fashion, art and women can’t be overstated. She was a delight. I am proud I have a career that allowed me to meet her and breathe her air."
"Grace. Style. Talent," the My Big Fat Greek Wedding star wrote on Instagram. "Above all, a comedy gal who set the bar high for all of us who came after. Rest in peace sweet and funny Diane Keaton."
"The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died," Bette wrote in her Instagram tribute. "I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me. She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was…oh, la, lala!
"Diane, working with you will always be one of the highlights of my life," the Father of the Bride star wrote on Instagram. "You are one of a kind, and it was thrilling to be in your orbit for a time. Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, your talent, and above all, your laughter."
No!! No!!! No!! God, not yet, NO!!! Man… you defined womanhood," she noted on Instagram. "The pathos, humor, levity, your ever-present youthfulness and vulnerability — you tattooed your SOUL into every role, making it impossible to imagine anyone else inhabiting them. You were undeniably, unapologetically YOU!!! Loved you. Man… rest well. God bless your family, and I know angels are flying you home.
"What a very sad day. Rest in peace #dianekeaton," he wrote on Instagram "Such a brilliant actor, a kind heart and full of graciousness with a shining independent spirit."
"What a monumental loss," he wrote on Instagram. "Diane Keaton in many ways defined my love of movies. From Annie Hall to the Godfather films, from First Wives Club to Baby Boom, from Father of the Bride to Something’s Gotta Give, here resume was nothing short of iconic and hall of fame worthy." "I was very fortunate to work with her many years ago on an unproduced HBO pilot," Josh continued, "and what I found was one of the most humble, ruthlessly funny, and unbelievably talented human beings I’ve ever come across."
He added, "In many ways, this year will be defined by the loss of a Hollywood we will never again see. There simply are no replacements for a Gene Hackman or a Robert Redford or a Diane Keaton. They were the mavericks who helped redefine movies for a generation and losing them feels like also losing a chance inactive tissue to that golden age just out of reach. My heart goes out to Diane’s entire family during this impossible moment. RIP"
"Diane Keaton is gone," the designer wrote on Instagram, "and though I only knew her through the light she gave on screen, I’ll miss that light deeply."
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