Reese Witherspoon aka Jill Greene is now challenging stereotypes

Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon, known for iconic roles in Legally Blonde and The Morning Show, has ventured into adult fiction with her debut thriller, Gone Before Goodbye, co-written with bestselling author Harlan Coben. While she has herself brilliantly portrayed fashionista typecast women characters, such as Jill green in Friends and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, the Hollywood A-lister is now focused on changing the stereotypes associated with women in movies and literature.

Reflecting on her childhood, Witherspoon recalls watching James Bond films with her father, a fan of the franchise, but often wondering why the female characters were dressed in bikinis rather than portrayed as skilled crime-solvers. This question inspired her to create a story focused on a female lead defined by her unique abilities, not her looks.

Also read: Florence Nightingale, heroic founder of modern nursing, is humanised in a new novel

The Gone Before Goodbye novel follows Maggie, a gifted surgeon caught in a dangerous conspiracy after losing her medical license. Witherspoon drew from her upbringing in a medical military family and the influence of her doctor father and nurse mother to shape Maggie’s character, highlighting themes of service and resilience.

Despite initial doubts about writing a novel, Witherspoon says she was thrilled to bring the story to life and is eager to see how fellow writers receive it. In an interview with BBC, she shared her deep respect for authors, having already built a reputation with her influential book club, which champions strong female narratives. Through her production company Hello Sunshine, Witherspoon continues to promote complex female characters in film and television.

Witherspoon’s career has seen ups and downs, including a challenging period following her Oscar win and personal struggles. Her main character Maggie’s journey is also about overcoming life’s challenges. Maggie’s story starts “on her knees”, which Witherspoon uses as a metaphor for overcoming setbacks.

Discussing the ongoing lack of nuanced female roles in Hollywood, Witherspoon acknowledges a gap she has worked to fill by creating stories centered on women with distinctive skills rather than relying on outdated tropes of sex appeal or violence.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hello Sunshine (@hellosunshine)

Her collaboration with Coben, who praised doctors as heroes and admired Maggie’s character, was hands-on, with both authors deeply involved in the writing process. While Gone Before Goodbye has not yet been adapted for screen, Coben hints it might be, with Witherspoon possibly in mind for the lead.

Also read: Jilly Cooper: Britain’s queen of the ‘bonkbuster’ novel

Someone who read the novel in six hours, took to the internet to post a review as well. Here is how Marissa Wu wrote on on PureWow website, that Gone Before Goodbye “delivered on all fronts”. She said that the novel not only describes the “international machinations of the sinister medical variety” but also provides enough plot twists to the readers on the edge of their seat right until the very end. In a rather spoiler alert teaser, she also said that Witherspoon offers a take on Hollywood’s beauty surgeries in a way that only an insider could have.