Reese Witherspoon looks back at special bond with Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton was one of the first welcoming hearts that Reese Witherspoon found at the beginning of her career.

The legendary actress, who recently passed away at the age of 79, offered the Legally Blonde actress, 49, her first job in Hollywood.

Witherspoon fondly looked back at her special memories with Keaton in a new interview with The Times of London, saying, “She just really took a chance on me. You never forget those people who give you your first job opportunities.”

Keaton cast Witherspoon for the movie Wildflower, which she directed back in 1991.

Speaking of her first acting experience, the Big Little Lies actress continued, “She was just truly original through it all,” adding that she was “auntie to me” on the set.

The Hollywood icon passed away on October 11 after suffering from bacterial pneumonia.

Soon after the news broke out, The Morning Show star paid tribute to Keaton during a panel event.

“I just wanted to talk to you for one second because, and I’m gonna try to get through this without tearing up, but I don’t know if you guys heard that Diane Keaton passed. I had to take a second to just really think about it because when I was 15 years old. Diane was really important — she was one of my first mentors in this business,” Witherspoon said.