How Tall Is Reese Witherspoon?

Publish date: 2024-04-24

Reese Witherspoon is less than 5'5" tall, according to NPR.
The Big Little Lies star's height has sometimes affected her career.
Here's how Reese has handled any criticism with grace.

Reese Witherspoon is definitely one of our favorite leading ladies. Whether she’s playing a nosy mom-turned-murder-accomplice in Big Little Lies, or the ever-spunky Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Reese always knows how to bring the humor, charm, and style to any movie or TV show.

So, it’s not hard to believe that Reese has taken on the challenges she’s faced in Hollywood with total class. What is hard to understand are the comments she’s sometimes received about her height. According to NPR, Reese is 5’3” tall, but she’s said before that her petite frame is one of the many characteristics the industry has critiqued in the past.

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“When I first came here [to LA], all I heard was, ‘No, not right—not tall enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough,’” she once told The Daily Mail. “But I didn’t really care about their opinions. I’m stubborn.”

Her bold attitude obviously paid off, as she didn't let others opinions stop her from becoming a full-blown star. Still, she’s not shy about admitting when her stature affects her roles. When she was filming Four Christmases, for example, she played opposite Vince Vaughn (who is 6’5”, for reference), and Reese had to get creative with how to make up for their height differences.

“I stood on a lot of boxes and they had to build ramps that were about the same size as where I should be,” she said, according to Digital Spy. “It was a challenge, especially the kissing scenes…And he had to pick me up for half the dancing. He’s actually holding me in the air so we can stay in the same frame.”

And on the set of Penelope, the actress admitted to Seventeen that she had to adjust for a scene where she rode a Vespa. “Because I’m ‘height challenged,’ my feet couldn’t touch the ground and they tried to lower it as low as they possibly could, and my feet still couldn’t touch the ground on it,” she said. “So we had to put it on a rig.”

But even as Reese’s own children start to outgrow her, she still likes to respond with her positive sense of humor. On her son Deacon’s birthday, she posted for a picture complete with this sweet and relatable mom caption.

“Everyday you teach me something new about beats, Fort Nite dances, fantasy football and cool sneakers. What a gift to be your mom,” she said. “P.S. When did you get so tall!?”

Regardless of what the haters have to say, we think Reese is great just the way she is.

Rewatch Reese's Best Movies

Sweet Home Alabama

Legally Blonde

Walk The Line

Cruel Intentions

Megan Stein is the executive editor for The Pioneer Woman, and oversees entertainment, features, and news for the website. Whether it's catching up on the latest true crime podcast, or re-watching the best '80s movies for the zillionth time, she's always here to talk about anything and everything relating to pop culture.