Laura Dern runs ‘everything’ by Reese Witherspoon, Know more

Laura Dern makes sure there’s no decision she makes without Reese Witherspoon’s advice.

During a panel discussion at Hello Sunshine’s Shine Away event in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 5, the Oscar-winning actress, 57, opened up about the impact of her professional network on her career choices.

She highlighted that one of the most influential people in her circle is Reese Witherspoon.

Reflecting on her upbringing in the entertainment industry, with actor parents Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, the Jurassic Park star shared a key lesson from her mentors.

“What I learned from the four or five women who raised me who were actresses, who then became writers or producers or directors, was that there was no community, there was no inside without each other,” she explained.

“And that sisterhood drove them,” she continued. “Jane Fonda being one, along with my mother and an amazing group of women who decided they had to be the storytellers to be in the story at all, and they are true pioneers that led us to understand that.”

“So I felt so lucky to have that lens and then to find sisterhood on this stage, and basically I run everything by Reese,” she admitted. “From my romantic life all the way to what jobs I should do.”

Before she could add anything else, Witherspoon, 48, who was also on the panel alongside Octavia Spencer, jumped in to share a recent story.

Witherspoon humorously teased that she and Dern had recently combined their networks for a project that wasn’t career-focused, but more personal, just a few days earlier.

“We produced a barbecue last week,” the Legally Blonde star said, as Dern seconded, “We did. It was amazing.”